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an hour ago
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Praggnanandhaa becomes India's new No. 1 after UzChess Cup win, Gukesh slips to second
Indian sensation R Praggnanandhaa has become India's new No. 1 in classical chess after winning the UzChess Cup Masters in Tashkent. He surpassed the current world champion D Gukesh in the standings with Elo rating of 2778.3. read more R Praggnanandhaa is now one spot ahead of the world champion D Gukesh in live chess ranking. Image: X/FIDE Indian sensation Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa has become the new India No. 1 in classical chess after winning the UzChess Cup Masters tournament. The 19-year-old defeated Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov with the Black pieces in the final round to clinch the title. Praggnanandhaa becomes new India No. 1 Thanks to this big win, Praggnanandhaa has now jumped to No. 4 in the live world rankings with an impressive Elo rating of 2778.3. He is now ahead of fellow Indians Dommaraju Gukesh, who is ranked 5th with a rating of 2776.6, and Arjun Erigaisi, who is at 6th place with 2775.7. The five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway is still at the top of the chart with a rating of 2839.2. He is followed by American grandmasters Hikaru Nakamura (2807) and Fabiano Caruana (2784.2). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After Praggnanandhaa clinched his third title of the year, he took to social media to thank everyone for all the support he received before the event. 'Wrapped up the #UzChessCup Masters with a win in the final round and wins in tie breaks. Tiebreaks were crazy indeed. Grateful for all the support that I have received so far. Onto my next challenge to Croatia,' Praggnanandhaa wrote in a post on X after his victory in Tashkent. Wrapped up the #UzChessCup Masters with a win in the final round and wins in tie breaks. Tiebreaks were crazy indeed. Grateful for all the support that I have received so far. Onto my next challenge to Croatia. — Praggnanandhaa (@rpraggnachess) June 27, 2025 In another post, Praggnanandhaa thanked former world champion Viswanathan Anand, who had congratulated the Indian youngster on his Uzbekistan Cup win. Anand said that out of all of Praggnanandhaa's wins this year, the one in Uzbekistan seemed the least likely, but given the way he made a comeback, he fully deserved to be World No. 4 and India's No. 1 player. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Thank you so much, @vishy64theking sir! This one felt special, it means a lot coming from you. Grateful always for your support and inspiration! ♟️🙏 — Praggnanandhaa (@rpraggnachess) June 28, 2025 However he defeated Arjun Erigaisi and today in the crucial match defeated Nodirbek Abdussattorov to tie for first place. In an impressive demonstration of character he won his third tiebreak of the year as well. (2/3) — Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) June 27, 2025 He is deservedly the new number four in the chess world and the highest rated player in India. (3/3) — Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) June 27, 2025
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First Post
11 hours ago
- Sport
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Praggnanandhaa achieves another historic feat after winning UzChess Cup Masters, collecting third title of year
R Praggnanandhaa prevailed over a tough field comprising compatriots Arjun Erigaisi and Aravindh Chithambaram as well as home favourites Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov in Tashkent to collect his third title of the year after Tata Steel Chess and Superbet Chess Classic Romania. read more Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated Javokhir Sindarov and Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the blitz tie-breaks to win the 2025 UzChess Cup Masters in Tashkent. Image credit: X/@rpraggnachess Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa has been having quite the stellar run so far in 2025, having won the Tata Steel Chess tournament in Netherlands in February as well as Superbet Chess Classic Romania last month. On Friday, 'Pragg' added another feat to the collection – winning the UzChess Cup Masters 2025 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. And what makes this feat even more impressive is the fact that the 19-year-old triumphed over some of the leading players in the world, including compatriots Arjun Erigaisi and Aravindh Chithambaram as well as home favourites Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov. Also part of the solid lineup were Grandmasters Ian Nepomniachtchi, Richard Rapport and Parham Maghsoodloo. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Praggnanandhaa had finished level on 5.5 points with Javokhir and Nodirbek, defeating both Uzbekistani GMs along with Arjun, who finished fourth with 5 points. All three players later finished level on two points in the first round of blitz tie-breaks. Praggnanandhaa, however, sneaked ahead in the second round of tie-breaks, where he finished with 1.5 points compared to 1 for Javokhir and 0.5 for Nodirbek. 'Wrapped up the #UzChessCup Masters with a win in the final round and wins in tie breaks. Tiebreaks were crazy indeed,' Praggnanandhaa wrote in a post on X after his victory in Tashkent. 'Grateful for all the support that I have received so far. Onto my next challenge to Croatia,' he added, referring to the SuperUnited Croatia Rapid & Blitz tournament in Zagreb which is part of the Grand Chess Tour and gets underway on 2 July. Wrapped up the #UzChessCup Masters with a win in the final round and wins in tie breaks. Tiebreaks were crazy indeed. Grateful for all the support that I have received so far. Onto my next challenge to Croatia. — Praggnanandhaa (@rpraggnachess) June 27, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Praggnanandhaa overtakes Gukesh and Arjun The joy of winning his third title of the year was made even sweeter by the fact that Praggnanandhaa has now surpassed both Gukesh and Arjun to become the top-ranked Indian on the latest live ratings. Praggnanandhaa has a live rating of 2778.3, placing him at the fourth spot ahead of reigning world champion Gukesh (2776.6) and Arjun (2775.7). The top three spots are occupied by Norwegian chess icon Magnus Carlsen (2839.2) as well as veteran American GMs Hikaru Nakamura (2807) and Fabiano Caruna (2784.2). The same, however, cannot be said of the FIDE ratings, where Arjun and Gukesh remain the only Indians inside the top five at third and fifth respectively, with Praggnanandhaa the third Indian inside the top-10 at seventh. While the FIDE ratings are updated every month, the Live ratings are updated in real time, typically within a minute after the conclusion of a game.
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First Post
2 days ago
- Sport
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D Gukesh reflects on Norway Chess campaign: 'Can't say happy, but there are some things...'
Despite starting his campaign with back-to-back defeats, reigning world champion D Gukesh bounced back in style at the 2025 Norway Chess, where he pulled off a stunning victory over Magnus Carlsen in Round 6 and was among the title contenders until the final round. read more After a series of underwhelming performances following his runner-up finish at the Tata Steel Chess, reigning world champion D Gukesh returned to form at the Norway Chess, where he was among the contenders for the trophy until the final round. Though he did not win the tournament, with world No 1 Magnus Carlsen successfully defending his title and being crowned champion for the seventh time, Gukesh highlighted the fact that he did not become world champion by accident, and that he deserved to be counted among the sport's elite. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Gukesh finished third in the tournament with a total of 14.5 points, behind Carlsen (16) and Fabiano Caruana (15.5). And the key takeaway from the tournament was his victories over Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and Arjun Erigaisi - the world's top three players as per the latest FIDE ratings. When asked to describe his Norway Chess 2025 campaign, the Chennai lad, who turned 19 during the tournament, described it as something of a mixed bag. 'Can't say happy, but there are some things to be happy about, some things to be really unhappy about,' Gukesh said in an interview with ChessBase India. 'One thing is starting so badly and finishing so well. In the final round, I had fair chances to win. Starting with two losses in a tournament like this, it's not great. Another thing to be happy about is, in general, when I am in good form, like everything just goes very smoothly, like in Candidates, Olympiad, when I am in my best form, things just happen naturally. 'But sometimes, in tournaments when I am not feeling at my best, it goes shakily. In this tournament, clearly I was not nowhere close to my best. You don't really control your form. It just comes and goes,' he added. The teenager had arrived in Stavanger, where the tournament took place, after an underwhelming run in the Weissenhaus and Paris legs of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour as well as in Superbet Chess Classic Romania, a Classical event in Bucharest where he finished ninth out of 10 competitors. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Things got worse for him after he began his campaign in Norway with back-to-back losses, against Carlsen and Arjun. Gukesh, however, bounced back with a victory over Hikaru in the third round followed by an Armageddon win against Caruana. The highlight of his campaign, as well as of the tournament, itself, was his sixth-round victory over Carlsen , in which he forced the iconic player to resign in 62 despite facing a second consecutive defeat at one stage. It was the first time Gukesh defeated Carlsen in his career, and he became only the second Indian after R Praggnanandhaa to achieve the feat. OH MY GOD 😳🤯😲 — Norway Chess (@NorwayChess) June 1, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Despite being shaken by the defeat, which Carlsen later revealed made him feel 'washed and useless' , the Norwegian went on to win the tournament despite being held to a draw by Arjun in the final round and losing the subsequent Armageddon game. Magnus finishes second or third even on his bad days Gukesh, for one, felt that Carlsen tends to finish among the top three even on his bad days. 'One thing about Magnus is that even when he is in bad form, he finishes second or third maximum. So one thing that I can be happy about is, even though I was playing pretty badly, to be honest, I still had chances to win. I guess the thing to be unhappy about is simply that in some games, I was just misevaluating. 'For example, in many games, pretty much all the games, there were one or two big moments. But okay. That's a chess weakness. It's nice that we could notice it, because I can just work on that. Some things to be happy about, some things to be not happy about. Overall, I think it was a nice experience,' he added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Gukesh has opted for a break after the Norway Chess campaign, with his name not appearing in the Las Vegas leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, where he is an automatic entry for all events being the world champion.
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First Post
2 days ago
- Sport
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Meet Aarit Kapil, India's nine-year-old chess sensation who nearly defeated Magnus Carlsen
A nine-year-old chess player from India nearly defeated world No.1 Magnus Carlsen in an online game on Tuesday. Here's the story of Aarit Kapil, who hails from Delhi and started playing chess only four years ago. read more Aarit Kapil was in a winning position but time constraint forced him to draw against Magnus Carlsen. Image: Reuters/DD Sports India's nine-year-old Aarit Kapil made headlines on Tuesday after he nearly defeated world No.1 chess player Magnus Carlsen in an online blitz game during the Early Titled Tuesday competition on Aarit Kapil, who hails from Delhi, had a much superior position against highest rated chess player of all time, Carlsen, before time constraint forced him to settle for a draw after 49 moves. Aarit Kapil currently holds the title of Candidate Master, which is awarded by FIDE to chess players who have a classical rating of 2200 or have performed well at continental or national events. Aarit Kapil currently has a classical FIDE rating of 2078. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Five-time world champion Carlsen has a classical rating of 2837 and holds the record for the highest rating of all time (2882). Who is Aarit Kapil, who drew against Magnus Carlsen? Aarit Kapil hails from New Delhi's Mayur Vihar and studies at the Somerville School. He started playing chess four years ago and now trains five to six hours daily under the coaching of International Master Vishal Sareen. In 2024, Aarit became the youngest Indian and third youngest in the world to defeat a Grandmaster in a classical Chess match. He achieved this feat by beating Raset Ziatdinov of the USA at the KIIT International Open in Bhubaneswar. Aarit's father, Vijay, who works as a mutual fund distributor in Delhi, told the Indian Express that his son was taught chess by his elder sister and he mastered it in no time. 'He was five years old when his elder sister Aarna taught him chess. In one week, he was beating us. Not like I am a serious player - I am the equivalent of a bathroom singer in the sport: a casual player. But we saw his potential, so we got him working with a coach. And in a few days, he won an international online tournament,' Vijay said. 'Sometimes when he has a bad tournament, we jokingly tell him 'tera chess rukwadenge' (We'll stop your chess). He says, 'jo marzi karlo, chess nahi chhodunga' (Do whatever you can, I won't stop playing chess),' he added. 'Bas chess hi karta hai. Aur kuch nahi karta. (only chess, nothing else).' The most amazing fact about Aarit's draw against Carlsen was that he played the match from a hotel room in Georgia, where he is currently competing in the Under-10 World Chess Championship. The Titled Tuesday tournament is only open to players with FIDE titles, including Grandmaster, International Master, FIDE Master and Candidate Master. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
News18
2 days ago
- Sport
- News18
Meet Aarit Kapil, The 9-Year-Old Chess Prodigy Who Nearly Defeated Magnus Carlsen
Last Updated: Aarit Kapil on Tuesday came close to beating Magnus Carlsen in an online blitz game. A nine-year-old Delhi boy has become the latest Indian chess sensation after pushing five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen to the brink during the Early Titled Tuesday competition. Aarit Kapil faced the world no. 1 Norwegian in an online blitz game and drew the game after 49 moves. The Early Titled Tuesday competition is open to players with FIDE titles and featured the likes of Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana and Vladimir Kramnik. Aarit, who lives in Mayur Vihar and studies in Vth standard, played the game from his hotel room in Georgia where he's currently taking part in FIDE World Cadets Cup (under-10 category). The game format at Titled Tuesday allows each player three minutes at the start and an increment of a second per move. Aarit held an advantageous position till the 46th move but was running out of time with just seven seconds on the clock. Carlsen had 20 seconds left himself and eventually the two agreed for a draw. Aarit's Initiation Into Chess Aarit was just five when his elder sister introduced him to chess. And he took to chess like a fish to water. 'He was five years old when his elder sister Aarna taught him chess. In one week, he was beating us," Aarit's father Vijay told The Indian Express. 'Not like I am a serious player – I am the equivalent of a bathroom singer in the sport: a casual player. But we saw his potential, so we got him working with a coach. And in a few days, he won an international online tournament." Giving Carlsen a tough fight isn't the first notable feat of Aarit's career. In 2024, he defeated USA's Raset Ziatdinov to become the third youngest player in the world to beat a grandmaster. 'Sometimes when he has a bad tournament, we jokingly tell him ' tera chess rukwadenge (We'll stop your chess). He says, ' jo marzi karlo, chess nahi chhodunga ' (Do whatever you can, I won't stop playing chess)," Vijay said. First Published:
