18 July 2025: In a major milestone that marks a new start for Indian chess, 19-year-old Grand Master Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa moved to the top of the Indian chess rankings after claiming first place at the UzChess Cup Masters in Croatia. This title victory, along with several consistent performances on the global stage, has not just allowed him to surpass his fellow Indian players; it has firmly placed him globally to be among the very best, marking a key moment for Indian sport.
Tournament’s Details With Ranking
After defeating Nodirbek Abdusattorov, the then top player in Uzbekistan, on the final day of the tournament, Praggnanandhaa became the number one player in India.
Here is the detail about the tournament and how the ranking changed:
| Player | India Rank | World Rank | Live Rating (approx.) | Country | Tournament Achievement |
| Praggnanandhaa R | #1 | #4 | 2778.3 – 2779 | India | Defeated Abdusattorov & won UzChess Cup 2025 |
| D Gukesh | #2 | #5 | 2776.6 | India | World Champion, elite standings |
| Arjun Erigaisi | #3 | #6 | 2775.7 | India | Elite Grandmaster |
| Nodirbek Abdusattorov | — | Top in Uzbekistan | (not stated) | Uzbekistan | Tournament leader until the final round |
The small difference in their ratings shows how tough it is to be at the top in chess. Before this tournament, Arjun Erigaisi was the top Indian player, but he dropped in the rankings after drawing a game with Aravindh Chithambaram, which made room for Praggnanandhaa to move up.
Ranking Improved Globally
Praggnanandhaa is the No.1 ranked player in India and is now 4th in the World Chess rankings, behind Magnus Carlsen (2839.2), Hikaru Nakamura (2807.0) and Fabiano Caruana (2784.2). He is giving voice to the new generation of chess players and ranks higher than D Gukesh, who is in fifth place. This is the greatness of sport: you can always prove yourself every match and every score.
How did Praggnanandhaa respond?
After winning the competition, Praggnanandhaa wasn’t excited about the achievement. For him, it was just a win-win situation. Speaking frankly after the tournament, he talked honestly about how quickly rating points can change and how important it is to stay focused on improving his skills. For him, ranking is not that important, but he is focused on the skills you pursue. He said, “I mean, for me, I take a tournament at a time. I don’t pay too much attention to these one or two rating points that change.”
“I became India’s number one because of one point. So I don’t think it really matters. These one or two points can go either way in one game. I don’t think I’ll pay attention to that so much. For me, more than that, the tournament that I just won was more special”, Praggnananadhaa expressed happiness for the tournament.
Sponsors and Supporters
Praggnanandhaa was able to become an elite Indian chess player through the support of family, coaches, and partnerships. Praggnanandhaa expressed his gratitude to Adani Sportsline for their tremendous support, saying their support meant a lot through good and difficult times.
Praggnanandhaa’s recent accomplishments have been recognised by the best players in the chess world, with the current world champion, Magnus Carlsen and number two player Hikaru Nakamura acknowledging his stature, especially after being picked by Team Liquid to play for the Esports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
What’s Next?
For Praggnanandhaa, the future holds both exciting opportunities and difficult challenges. He has already shown he can beat some of the top players in the world, so people expect even more success from him, including maybe winning a world title in the next few years. But his calm attitude and dedication to getting better mean he is ready to deal with the pressure of being India’s main hope in chess.
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