Grand Master R. Praggnanandhaa– The Chess Wizard
There is a famous Chinese proverb, ‘Life is like a game of Chess, changing with each move’.
Chess is a board game for two players, an abstract strategy game played on a chessboard containing 64 squares arranged in an 8×8 grid. The object of the game is to checkmate (threaten with inescapable capture) the enemy king.
It is believed that the recorded history of chess as a game goes back to the emergence of a similar game, chaturanga, in seventh-century India. With time the game spread to Persia, Arab world and then to Europe.
Chess competition today is governed internationally by FIDE – International Chess Federation. D. Gukesh is the current World Champion, having won the title in 2024.
GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu is an Indian grandmaster, an example of one of the greatest finds in chess history. He is one of the youngest grandmasters and world championship candidates ever.
His most recent and noteworthy achievement has been the win at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025, where he defeated the reigning world champion D. Gukesh.
Early Life:
The young man hails from Chennai and was born in 2005 to a humble middle-class family, with focus around academics and games since an early age. He climbed his way up through the professional ladder largely by participating in the World Youth Championships, where he won the under-8 age group in 2013 and the under-10 group in 2015.
By age 10 he was accorded the International Master status, a title he was the youngest to acquire at the time. Not so long after, he became a Grand Maser by the age of 12 and to date remains one of the few players to gain this title before becoming a teenager.
Recent Years:
In 2019, Praggnanandhaa won the Under-18 tournament at the World Youth Championship, and subsequently secured a rating of 2586 allocated by FIDE amongst the juniors.
The same year turned out to be extra special for him as the child prodigy clinched the Xtracon Chess Open, a renowned international tournament at the Copenhagen Chess Festival, with an undefeated 8.5 out of 10 points.
In 2022, Praggnanandhaa created international waves when he defeated Grand Master Magnus Carlsen at the Airthings Masters Tournament. He was the youngest player ever to beat Carlsen since the latter had become a world champion.
Another commendable achievement was winning a bronze medal with the Indian team at the 2022 FIDE Chess Olympiad, held in his hometown city Chennai.
Big Breakthrough:
The year 2023 was full of surprises and joyous celebrations as Praggnanandhaa obtained a rating of 2700 for the first time in his career until that point. His amazing streak continued with a second-place finish at the FIDE World Cup 2023.
His performance at the World Cup brought him a 2727 rating and secured 20th rank in the world of chess. This tournament made him garner a confirmed spot in the 2024 Candidates Tournament also: a stupendous achievement for the young man.
My Perspective:
With a current active FIDE rank of 14, this young Grandmaster from India has been raising he standards of chess as a game globally. His calm mindset and relaxed composure set him apart from the competitors of his game.
Praggnanandhaa has been in the many ways the poster child of the current generation of chess talent in India. His seamless ability to chase the grandmaster title at a young age was appreciated by people over. Although the last year brought a forgivable lull in his long career, he began the new year 2025 with a bang.
For the champion, his own benchmark of ceiling is higher than what he has already achieved, and chess fans—not just of India, but the entire world—are watching with bated breath to see just how far Praggnanandhaa can go. Rock On!
