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The Hindu
20 hours ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Praggnanandhaa wins UzChess Cup Masters 2025, becomes India No.1 in live ratings
GM R. Praggnanandhaa became the top-ranked Indian in the live ratings after winning the UzChess Cup Masters 2025 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Friday. Praggnanandhaa trailed sole leader and home favourite Nodirbek Abdusattorov by a point at the start of the day. Javokhir Sindarov, another local hope, had a lead of half a point over the Indian. However, Praggnanandhaa managed to catch up with the duo at 5.5 points at the end of the round-robin stage, courtesy a decisive win over Abdusattorov in the final round. Arjun Erigaisi missed out on making it a four-way tie after a draw with fellow Indian Aravindh Chithambaram. READ | Aurionpro Champion Lalit Babu: 'I still have the fire' After the first round of tiebreaks, a double round-robin blitz tournament, all three players had two points. Abdusattorov and Sindarov drew both their games. Praggnanandhaa beat both players with white pieces while losing with black. In the second round of tiebreaks, Praggnanandhaa drew with white against Abdusattorov and beat Sindarov with black. Sindarov's win over Abdusattorov confirmed the title for the Indian. Praggnanandhaa, with a live elo rating of 2778.3, gained three spots to move past compatriot and reigning classical chess world champion D. Gukesh (2776.6) to become the top-ranked Indian and World No. 4. Magnus Carlsen (2839.2) remains No.1, followed by Hikaru Nakamura (2807.0) and Fabiano Caruana (2784.2). It is the third title of the year for Praggnanandhaa after his triumph at Tata Steel Chess Tournament and Grand Chess Tour Superbet Classic Romania. Earlies this month, he had finished second at the Stepan Avagyan Memorial. Related Topics R. Praggnanandhaa
Indian Express
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Want to be a good chess player? Take a leaf out of Magnus Carlsen's book
In May last year, Magnus Carlsen, the best chess player of this generation, posted a photo of himself where the Norwegian is standing in front of a pool, against a backdrop of pure blue sky, wearing a T-shirt and shorts. It's a perfect day to be in the pool. But instead, world no 1 Carlsen has a book in hand called Understanding Rook Endgames. The caption read: 'Polishing my endgames before a busy month, with four tournaments coming up, starting with the Grand Chess Tour in Warsaw.' With the business of learning and training for chess now being largely computer-driven, with engines acting as guides for young players and super elite grandmasters alike, the photo is a reminder of what made a player like Carlsen great. His love for books is well documented in biographies: there are tales from his childhood about how he would sit by himself on a separate table for meals because he would always have a book or a chess board as his companion. When Simen Agdestein, Norway's first grandmaster and Carlsen's first real trainer, starts talking about a young Carlsen, he talks about how the boy had a voracious appetite for reading. Agdestein says Carlsen would pick out a book from his personal library at NTG (Norwegian School for Elite Sport where Agdestein was in charge of chess), thumb through the index and then read any chapter he found fascinating. The book wouldn't be left alone until the chapter ended. Henrik Carlsen shares similar tales about his son. He says when his son was eight, he played in an Under 11 competition. Back then, he was 'not even the best eight-year-old' in the country. 'He had just started playing, but he soon discovered that he was making more progress than the others, partly because he was working more on chess. He was studying chess. He was looking at games, reading books already at eight. At that age, he was reading a lot of opening theory and then he was making progress. He was starting to beat players that earlier had beaten him. He was outpacing all the others. 'His reading is much less now. But from like the age of nine to somewhere in his 20s, he read a lot. Still when he gets new books he can open it and then you won't get his attention before he's finished. At least until a couple of years ago, it would still be like if you give him a book, you know you can't talk to him,' Henrik told The Indian Express during the recently-concluded Norway Chess tournament. Agdestein links Magnus's early success to his reading habits. 'When we started working together, he wasn't very good in endings. That was his weakest point. Then I gave him a book: Fundamental Chess Endings by Frank Lamprecht and Karsten Müller. And that was that! After that, he's been the best in the world in endings,' beams Agdestein in an interview with The Indian Express. 'Many years later, when he was preparing for his first World Chess Championship match with Anand, I saw a photo he had posted where that same book was on the shelf in the background. He was still reading that book, or at least referring to it.' 'I see lots of players who barely have opened the book, and still they become good players. So it's possible to become very good without reading books, too, obviously,' says Agdestein before adding: 'But what makes Magnus stand out is that it seems like Magnus has read almost everything (in chess). He has a photographic memory, which is useful, of course. But still, he is very properly schooled, to put it that way, because he's well-read. It's not because he's been told things or had trainers like Garry Kasparov. Those things — like working with Kasparov when young — help too, but he knows all the classics, definitely. But that's because he's been reading books since he was nine and because he remembers it.' For Henrik, his young son's ability to read was not extraordinary as his extended family had plenty of engineers and people in fields like math. So reading was always something that was natural. Even now, Henrik sometimes gets taken aback by his son's capacity for knowledge. He says a few years back, Magnus participated in a quiz in Reykjavik where he ended up winning. 'I was surprised that he had won. And he just said, 'Of course we won. I know my chess history. We should have won by a bigger margin,'' grins Carlsen senior. Young players enamoured by Carlsen's success on the 64 squares would do well to take a leaf out of Carlsen's book. Amit Kamath is Assistant Editor at The Indian Express and is based in Mumbai. ... Read More
Economic Times
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Economic Times
Praggnanandhaa wins Superbet Classic after a tough tiebreak
Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France to win his first-ever tournament on the Grand Chess Tour by showcasing his supremacy in the the Superbet Classic here. The Indian, after drawing with the Armenian-American GM Levon Aronianin in the final round, was assured of a tie for the first place. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja also won to match Praggnanandhaa on 5.5 points. This led to a tiebreaker between the three, with five minutes and a two-second increment after every move. In the first game with black pieces, Praggnanandhaa had to work hard in a slightly difficult position against Firouzja but the end result was a draw. In the second game Firouzja drew with Vachier-Lagrave. In the last game of the event, Praggnanandhaa crashed through the defences of Vachier-Lagrave earn the top prize. The Indian scored 1.5 points in his blitz games, half a point more than Firouzja and one more than the other French Grandmaster. It was a sweet comeback for Praggnanandhaa after last year's debacle when he lost all his games in the play-offs. "I didn't do so well last time. I guess getting to rest a few hours before the tiebreak certainly helps," Praggnanandhaa said at the prize-giving ceremony. After his relatively early draw with Aronian in the Classical game, the Indian had rested in his room for a few hours. Praggnanandhaa also thanked his second for the tournament, GM Vaibhav Suri, and his permanent trainer Grandmaster RB Ramesh on the occasion. The Indian won a cash award of USD 77,667 (around Rs 66 lakh) for his efforts. Results (Round 9): R Praggnanandhaa (Ind, 5.5) drew with Levon Aronian (USA, 4); Deac Bogdan-Daniel (Rou, 4) lost to Alireza Firouzja (Fra, 5.5); Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra, 5.5) beat Jan Krzysztof (Pol, 3); Wesley So (4) drew with Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb, 4.5); D Gukesh (Ind, 4) drew with Fabiano Caruana (USA, 5). Tiebreak result: Praggnanandhaa drew with Firouzja; Firouzja drew with Vachier-Lagrave; Praggnanandhaa beat Vachier-Lagrave.
Business Wire
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Business Wire
Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu Wins 2025 Superbet Chess Classic Romania in Thrilling Playoff
BUCHAREST, Romania & SAINT LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a thrilling playoff finale, Indian Grandmaster (GM) Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu emerged victorious as the 2025 Superbet Chess Classic Romania champion, capturing his first-ever Grand Chess Tour title during the second leg of the elite global series. Indian Grandmaster Wins Second Leg of the Grand Chess Tour; Takes Home $77,667 Prize Share 'It feels great to win a Grand Chess Tour event,' said Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. 'Last year, I came close but fell short in the tiebreak, so having a few hours to rest beforehand this time made a real difference—the games can get so intense. I've been working on playing more ambitiously, and I'm incredibly grateful to my support team for helping me get here.' GMs Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja won in the final round to squeeze into a three-way tie for first. It was only after three playoff blitz games that Praggnanandhaa won the title. Firouzja and Vachier-Lagrave both won $67,667. 'Superbet Chess Classic 2025 was a truly exciting tournament from the very first round. The mix of experienced grandmasters and rising young talents created an atmosphere of fighting chess that lasted throughout the event. For the second year in a row, the final round brought a dramatic climax, with a tie-break among the top three players. This tournament once again proves our concept: bringing together established champions and emerging stars from around the world, many of whom are already part of the chess elite. We are proud to be part of such a remarkable event,' said Michael Khodarkovsky, GCT Executive Director. _________________________ 1 Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu won the event playoffs to secure first place. Expand 'Congratulations to Praggnanandhaa on his first Grand Chess Tour victory at the Superbet Chess Classic in Romania. Over nine days of intense competition, the tournament showcased the extraordinary talent of every participant. We are especially proud of Romanian player Bogdan Deac and his impressive performance. A heartfelt thank you to all the players for making this an unforgettable event, and to the chess fans around the world who followed each move with enthusiasm,' said Augusta Dragic, President of the Superbet Foundation. Next up, marking the midway point of the Grand Chess Tour, the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia —sponsored by the Superbet Foundation —kicks off on July 1 in Zagreb. Following the same fast-paced format as the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland, this major tour stop will feature seven full-tour players and three wildcards, including World #1 GM Magnus Carlsen. Live commentary begins at 8:00 a.m. CDT with GMs Yasser Seirawan, Cristian Chirila, and Peter Svidler, IM Nazi Paikidze, and WGM Anastasia Karlovich on the Saint Louis Chess Club's Twitch & YouTube channels. The remaining 2025 tour schedule will include: SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia: June 30-July 7, 2025 in Zagreb, Croatia Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz: August 9-17, 2025 in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA Sinquefield Cup: August 16-29, 2025 in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA GCT Finals: September 26-October 4, 2025 in São Paulo, Brazil GCT participants are currently competing for a recently increased prize purse of $1.6 million over the course of the 2025 season. The prize fund for each of the two classical tournaments will be $350,000 and $175,000 per event for rapid and blitz. Top four finishers of the regular season of five tournaments will compete for the purse of additional $350,000 in the knockout matches at the GCT finals. For more information, visit About the Grand Chess Tour The Grand Chess Tour is a circuit of international events, each demonstrating the highest level of organization for the world's best players. The legendary Garry Kasparov, one of the world's greatest ambassadors for chess, inspired the Grand Chess Tour and helped solidify the partnership between the organizers. For more information about the tour, please visit About the Superbet Foundation Since 2019, Superbet Foundation has made chess one of its core initiatives by organizing the first tournament of the Grand Chess Tour in Bucharest. The Foundation is committed to establishing a tradition of Grand Chess Tour tournaments within the Romanian and Polish chess communities. For more information, visit About the Saint Louis Chess Club The Saint Louis Chess Club is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons and special lectures. Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Saint Louis Chess Club is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit
United News of India
17-05-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
Praggnanandhaa title win at Superbest Chess in Romania a defining moment : Stalin
Chennai, May 17 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin congratulated chess prodigy GM Praggnanandhaa for winning the Superbet Chess Classic 2025 in Romania and termed it as a defining moment in Indian chess. In a post on X, he said "Congratulations to our Chennai pride, Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa, on winning the prestigious Superbet Chess Classic 2025 in Romania—his maiden Grand Chess Tour title!". His brilliance across classical and blitz rounds showcased extraordinary composure and tactical depth, he said. "Tamil Nadu celebrates this defining moment in Indian chess!", he said. UNI GV 1600
