How India's World Junior Chess Champion Pranav Earned Wildcard to Grand Swiss 2025
/ Aug 04, 2025, 01:11PM IST
In this exclusive interview with our reporter Jyotirmoy Halder, India's 2025 World Junior Champion GM Pranav Venkatesh reveals the unexpected and dramatic path to his wildcard entry at the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss. Pranav defeated Kazakhstan's Kazybek Nogerbek 1.5–0.5 in an unpublicised 'Asian Wildcard Match' in Al Ain, UAE — a match even he didn't know was coming. 'It was very surprising… suddenly I got this mail,' he says. Now, alongside D Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, and Arjun Erigaisi, Pranav will compete in Samarkand for a coveted 2026 Candidates spot. Watch as he relives the moment and shares what this Grand Swiss debut means for his future.
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