Who is Pranav Venkatesh? All you need to know about Junior World Chess Champion

Pranav Venkatesh became India’s 75th Grandmaster at just 15.

India has produced some incredible chess talent over the years. Pranav Venkatesh, an 18-year-old chess player from Bengaluru, is the latest player to shine on the global stage.

In March 2025, Pranav clinched the World Junior Chess Championship title in Petrovac, Montenegro, marking a major milestone in his young career.

Also Read: Full list of chess Grandmasters from India

Why the Junior World Championship Matters

The World Junior Chess Championship (U20) is one of the most prestigious titles in youth chess and has served as a launchpad for several future stars.

Viswanathan Anand won it in 1987, while Garry Kasparov and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov competed in it before becoming world champions. Winning a title like this usually puts a player on the global radar and leads to invitations to top-level tournaments.

Other notable champions include India’s Pentala Harikrishna in 2004, China’s Yu Yangyi in 2013, and Iran’s Parham Maghsoodloo in 2018, all of whom have gone on to make their mark in the senior circuit.

Pranav’s rise through the ranks

Pranav started playing chess at the age of just six. In 2022, he became India’s 75th Grandmaster, a clear sign of his steady growth and commitment to the game. In 2024, he claimed double gold in the World Youth U18 Rapid and Blitz Championships.

One of his biggest moments came in 2023, when he defeated Magnus Carlsen in a Titled Tuesday online event. He also won the 2022 Magnus Academy Challenge, beating several strong opponents.

Also Read: Top five greatest Indian chess players of all-time

Pranav’s path to the Junior Championship title in 2025

The 2025 Junior World Championship was stacked with top U20 talent from around the globe, but Pranav rose to the occasion. He got off to a confident start, winning games with both white and black pieces. A critical victory against the second seed in the penultimate round gave him a lead at the top.

On the final day, he held his nerve and played a safe 18-move draw against Slovenia’s Matic Lavrencic to seal the title. Pranav went undefeated throughout the tournament, scoring seven wins and four draws, finishing with nine points.

This victory made Pranav only the fourth Indian to win the Junior World Championship, joining the likes of Viswanathan Anand (1987), Pentala Harikrishna (2004), and Abhijeet Gupta (2008).

India has also had a strong presence in the women’s section. Koneru Humpy won the girls’ title in 2001, followed by Harika Dronavalli in 2008 and Soumya Swaminathan in 2009. After 15 years, Divya Deshmukh brought the title back to India in 2024.

India’s Golden Era in Chess

Mentored by five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand, India has seen a surge of chess prodigies emerge over the past decade, and 2024-25 has been historic for Indian chess. India won both the Open and Women’s team events at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, a first in the nation’s history.

In December 2024, Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest-ever World Chess Champion at the age of 18. Arjun Erigaisi crossed the 2800 Elo mark in classical chess, becoming only the second Indian to do so after Anand.

Meanwhile, R Praggnanandhaa finished runner-up at the 2023 Chess World Cup and went on to win the Tata Steel Masters 2025 after defeating Gukesh in the tiebreaks, becoming the first Indian to lift the trophy since former world champion Anand.

At just 18 and a Junior World Champion, Pranav Venkatesh currently holds a FIDE rating of 2594. With this momentum, he looks ready to step into the senior circuit and take on the world’s best.

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