Praggnanandhaa's Rise Prompts Witty Reaction from Anish Giri: Chess Prodigy Achieves Top Junior Ranking

Friday - 25/07/2025 03:31

Anish Giri's witty remark on Praggnanandhaa becoming the World No.1 junior highlights the rise of young chess talents. Praggnanandhaa's UzChess Cup Masters 2025 victory, propelling him to World No.4 and India's top player, showcases his dominance. His dramatic win, praised by Viswanathan Anand, underscores his impressive character and solidifies his position as a leading force in chess.

Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri, known for his wit, ignited a flurry of online discussion with a playful comment regarding R Praggnanandhaa's ascent to the top of the junior chess rankings.

Praggnanandhaa and Giri: A study in chess generations

Giri, currently ranked world no. 10 with a live rating of 2748.0, quipped, "Chess juniors nowadays have to be at least U16, keeping track of U20 players is totally pointless." This remark subtly acknowledges the exceptional talent emerging at increasingly younger ages, challenging established norms in the chess world.

Giri's comment followed Praggnanandhaa's impressive victory at the UzChess Cup Masters 2025 in Uzbekistan. This win boosted the 19-year-old's live rating to 2778.3, temporarily placing him as World No.4 and surpassing both D Gukesh (2776.6) and Arjun Erigaisi (2775.7) to become India’s highest-rated chess player.

Praggnanandhaa's path to victory was a hard-fought battle. After starting the final day trailing behind Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov, he secured a critical win against Abdusattorov in the last classical round, resulting in a three-way tie. He demonstrated exceptional resilience in the blitz tiebreaks, ultimately securing the tournament victory in the second set of rapid games. This marked his third major classical title this year.

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

His UzChess Cup triumph joins a string of successes in 2025, including 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 seem to downplay the significance of junior rankings, Praggnanandhaa's achievements underscore a significant shift: the future of chess is here, and it's flourishing in India.

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