Praggnanandhaa's Surge to Top Junior Prompts Witty Response from Giri; Indian Star Ascends to World No. 4

Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri, known for his wit, stirred the chess community with a playful reaction to R Praggnanandhaa becoming the world's top-ranked junior player.

Praggnanandhaa and Giri: A generational snapshot of chess.

"Keeping track of U20 players is totally pointless; chess juniors nowadays have to be at least U16," quipped Giri, currently ranked world no. 10 with a live rating of 2748.0. His remark subtly acknowledged the rapid rise of young talents who are now challenging the established order in senior chess.

Giri's comment followed Praggnanandhaa’s impressive victory at the UzChess Cup Masters 2025 in Uzbekistan. The 19-year-old's performance propelled him to a live rating of 2778.3, making him World No.4 overall and surpassing D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi to become India’s highest-rated chess player.

Praggnanandhaa's path to victory was dramatic. He began the final day trailing behind Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov. A critical win against Abdusattorov in the last classical round forced a three-way tie. In the ensuing blitz tiebreaks, Praggnanandhaa displayed remarkable composure, ultimately securing the tournament win in the second set of rapid games, marking his third major classical title this year.

Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand lauded the young player's resilience: "This win seemed the least likely with just two rounds to go… An impressive demonstration of character."

The UzChess Cup win adds to Praggnanandhaa's impressive 2025, which includes victories at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament and the Superbet Classic in Romania. He also secured a runner-up finish at the Stepan Avagyan Memorial.

While Giri's comment might playfully diminish the significance of junior rankings, Praggnanandhaa's achievements underscore a significant trend: the future of world chess is already making its mark, particularly in India.