R Praggnanandhaa clinches UzChess Cup 2025; becomes India's top-ranked player

R Praggnanandhaa triumphs at UzChess Cup 2025, climbs to World No. 4, and becomes India’s top-ranked classical chess player.

India’s teenage chess sensation R Praggnanandhaa has added yet another feather to his already illustrious career. The 18-year-old Grandmaster won the UzChess Cup Masters 2025 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Thursday, becoming the top-ranked Indian player in classical chess and jumping to World No. 4 in the live FIDE ratings.

The final day of the tournament saw a thrilling three-way tie between Praggnanandhaa and local favourites Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov, forcing a blitz round-robin playoff. Pragg held his nerve in six high-pressure blitz games, defeating Sindarov and drawing with Abdusattorov in the second cycle to finish ahead on points and claim the title.

With this victory, Praggnanandhaa’s live rating climbed to 2778.3, putting him ahead of fellow Indian stars D Gukesh (2776.6) and Arjun Erigaisi (2775.7). This also makes him the highest-rated Indian classical player, a position long held by five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand.

This is Praggnanandhaa’s third major title of the year, following wins at the Tata Steel Masters and the Superbet Chess Classic. He also finished runner-up at the Stepan Avagyan Memorial earlier this season, marking 2025 as his most successful year on the circuit so far.

The win drew praise from across the chess world. Viswanathan Anand, who has mentored the youngster through the WestBridge Anand Chess Academy, congratulated Pragg on his performance and his rise to the top of Indian chess. Fans and fellow players also took to social media to celebrate the new era led by India’s rising stars.

Now that three Indians have joined the 2775+ rating club, the focus is squarely on the nation’s newest chess players. Praggnanandhaa is at the centre of it all, calm, determined, and making his moves significant on the board and in Indian sporting history.

Praggnanandhaa has solidified his position as a major player on the international scene, with the chess community now awaiting his next appearance in international chess competitions.

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