A new era in Indian chess: Four grandmasters in top 10; R Praggnanandhaa leads FIDE Circuit
NEW DELHI: Indian chess is entering uncharted territory. For the first time in history, four Indian players now feature in the world's top 10 live ratings — a momentous leap for the nation on the global chessboard.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
The newest name to break into the elite ranks is Aravindh Chithambaram, who climbed to World No. 9 with a live rating of 2757.8. He joins D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, and R Praggnanandhaa, cementing India's growing dominance in international chess.
Aravindh's surge comes on the heels of a hard-fought victory at the 6th Stepan Avagyan Memorial in Jermuk, Armenia. He and Praggnanandhaa both finished with 6.5/9, but Aravindh claimed the title thanks to a better Sonneborn-Berger score — a tiebreaker determined by the strength of opponents faced.
Final-round drama in Jermuk
The tournament couldn't have been closer. Aravindh and Praggnanandhaa, who are also training partners under coach RB Ramesh, drew their first-round encounter and remained locked in step for much of the event.
Entering the final round, both were tied at 5.5 points and needed a win to take the title.
Praggnanandhaa struck first, defeating Robert Hovhannisyan of Armenia. Aravindh, playing black, responded under pressure by toppling Aram Hakobyan, sealing a flawless performance: 4 wins, 5 draws, zero losses.
For Praggnanandhaa, the result was bittersweet. 'It was a good tournament for me,' he told Chessbase India, 'but I missed that one chance in Round 2 against Jonas Buhl Bjerre. That win would've made the difference.'
Praggnanandhaa leads the circuit
Despite finishing second, the 19-year-old continues his blazing run in 2025. He now ranks sixth in live ratings (2774.2) and leads the FIDE Circuit standings with 83.59 points from five events.
His consistent form, including wins at Tata Steel Masters and GCT Romania Classic, and top-three finishes in Prague, GCT Poland, and now Jermuk — puts him in pole position to qualify for the 2026 Candidates Tournament.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Close behind is Aravindh with 41.32 points from just three events — proof of his rapid rise and potential to catch up.
What's Next?
The momentum doesn't stop here. Both Aravindh and Praggnanandhaa are slated to compete in the Uzchess Cup, kicking off June 18 in Uzbekistan. They'll be facing elite opposition again — including Ian Nepomniachtchi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Arjun Erigaisi.
Indian chess has never looked stronger, and this new generation is proving it's here to stay.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
40 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Khaleel Ahmed joins Essex for Rothesay County Championship and Metro Bank One Day Cup
India's left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed will play for the Essex Club until the conclusion of the 2025 season. He will be available for both the Rothesay County Championship and the Metro Bank One Day Cup. A product of India's Under-19 squad for the 2016 World Cup, Ahmed has represented the senior Indian Men's team on 29 occasions, which includes eleven ODIs and eighteen T20Is, as per the press release from the Essex official website. Since making his ODI debut in 2018 against Hong Kong, Ahmed has taken 15 wickets in his 11 ODI appearances, at an average of 31.00 and an economy rate of 5.81, with best figures of 3-13. Featuring for Rajasthan in India's domestic List A structure, he has played 63 matches, taking 92 wickets at an average of 27.92, with best figures of 4-35. Ahmed's abilities are not limited to white-ball cricket; he has also represented Rajasthan in first-class cricket on 20 occasions. In Indian conditions, he has taken 56 red-ball wickets at a healthy average of 27.67, with best figures of 5-37. The 27-year-old was part of the India A squad that faced the England Lions at the start of June, playing in the first game at Northampton. Ahmed took four wickets in the first innings from 19 overs, dismissing James Rew, George Hill, Chris Woakes, and Jordan Cox. On signing for the Club, Khaleel Ahmed said: "I am thrilled to sign for Essex.I have heard a lot about the rich history of the Club, and I'm excited to be part of it and will look to make an immediate impact. I'm looking forward to playing at Chelmsford, meeting the loyal Essex Members and fans, and delivering performances they can be proud of." On the signing of Khaleel Ahmed, Director of Cricket Chris Silverwood said: "We are really pleased to be bringing Khaleel into the Club. We were impressed with his performances for India A and firmly believe he can strengthen our already very strong seam attack. As a left-arm seamer, he offers something different and will add a new dynamic to the squad in both the One Day Cup and the County Championship." Khaleel Ahmed is set to wear the number 71 and will meet up with the squad in York to be available for selection against Yorkshire.
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
Ghaziabad woman files complaint against RCB pacer Yash Dayal alleging exploitation on pretext of marriage
Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 28 (ANI): Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Indian pacer, Yash Dayal, has been accused of exploitation on the pretext of marriage by a woman from Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad. The woman has lodged a complaint through the Chief Minister's online grievance portal, IGRS. In her complaint, the woman alleged that she had been in a relationship with the cricketer for the past five years, during which she was emotionally, mentally, and physically exploited. 'For the last five years, the complainant was in a relationship with a cricketer. The man emotionally, mentally and physically exploited her by misleading her with the promise of marriage. He introduced the complainant to his family as their daughter-in-law, which made her trust him completely,' the complaint stated. The woman further alleged that when she confronted Dayal about the alleged deception, she was subjected to physical violence and mental harassment. 'During the relationship, the complainant was made emotionally and financially dependent on him. Later, she found that the man was involved in similar relationships with other women as well,' the complaint said. She claimed to have reached out to the women's helpline number 181 on June 14, 2025, but said that the matter did not progress at the police station level. Owing to financial and social helplessness, she turned to the Chief Minister's office seeking justice. 'She has chats, screenshots, video calls, and photos etc as evidence,' it added. 'The request is to investigate this matter promptly and impartially, and to take legal action against the accused. This step is important not only for her, but also for all girls who fall victim to such relationships,' it concluded. Notably, Yash Dayal was part of RCB's historic IPL 2025 title win earlier this month, taking 13 wickets in 15 matches. He has represented Uttar Pradesh in all domestic formats and is yet to make his India debut. (ANI)
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
"He set a very good atmosphere around": Prasidh Krishna hails Shubman Gill's Test captaincy
Leeds [UK], June 28 (ANI): Following the loss against England in the first Test of the five-match series at Headingley, India's right-arm seamer Prasidh Krishna shared his thoughts on newly appointed Test skipper Shubman Gill where he said the young middle-order batter had a 'very good atmosphere' in the dressing room. Speaking on Gill's captaincy and leadership skills at the press-conference, Krishna said, 'I think he did a pretty good job. All of us saw how he rotated the bowlers, made sure everybody had enough breaks, brought in people at the right kind of spells, he saw opportunities and brought in the right kind of bowlers. All of that was great and knowing him, he set a very good atmosphere around. He's been speaking to all of us, we always go in with a plan and the communication is happening there.' Gill joined the elite list of Indians, which includes Sunil Gavaskar, Virat Kohli, Vijay Hazare and Dilip Vengsarkar to score 100 on Test captaincy debut. He achieved this feat in his outing against England on Day 1 of the first test of the five-test match series on Friday at Leeds Headingley. This is also the start of the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle for both also completed 2000 runs in test cricket, the batter took 60 innings to achieve this feat. Both Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli completed 2000 test runs in their first match as captain. Gill is the 23rd player to score a century in a debut innings as captain and the fourth youngest among those behind Herbie Taylor, Alastair Cook, and Steven brought up his 100 in 140 deliveries in an innings peppered with 14 boundaries as he kept India steady. This was his sixth century in test, and he also has seven fifties to his name. Alongside Gill, Indian batter Yashasvi Jaiswal also scored a brilliant century. He was dismissed by England skipper Ben Stokes right after Tea on Day 1 for 101 runs; his innings included 16 fours and a six. Further, the pacer spoke about the five-wicket loss which his team faced in the first test against the Three Lions at the Leeds, Headingley. 'The dressing room is still nice and happy and very, very motivated. Like I said, we came here knowing what this opportunity meant for all of us and even in the game today, we might have looked quiet at some stages but I think we still had a plan, we wanted to do something and we went about doing it and we got two wickets in a cluster twice so that still kept the motivation going and then, you know as a bowling unit when something is happening, we still ended up taking the new ball. They needed about 20 runs with the same hope of something is going to happen. So we are still there believing we made sure till the last run is scored, we are still out there and making sure they work hard for it,' the 29-year-old player added. The second Test between England and India will take place at Birmingham from July 2 onwards.(ANI)
