New Delhi: Teen chess sensation R Praggnanandhaa has scripted history once again by becoming India’s top-ranked chess player and climbing to World No. 4 in the live global rankings after winning the UzChess Cup Masters 2025 in Tashkent on Friday. With this victory, the 19-year-old Grandmaster achieved his career-best rating of 2778.3, leapfrogging both reigning world champion D Gukesh (2776.6) and Arjun Erigaisi (2775.7), who was India’s top-ranked player just a day earlier. Globally, he now trails only Magnus Carlsen (2839.2), Hikaru Nakamura (2807.0), and Fabiano Caruana (2784.2).
Praggnanandhaa entered the final round of the round-robin tournament trailing local favourite Nodirbek Abdusattorov by a full point and Javokhir Sindarov by half a point. However, a critical victory over Abdusattorov in the final round allowed him to join both Uzbek players at 5.5 points, forcing a three-way tie at the top.
Arjun Erigaisi, who had a chance to make it a four-way tie, missed the opportunity after settling for a draw with Aravindh Chithambaram in his final game.
In the first tiebreak round, a double round-robin blitz, all three contenders—Praggnanandhaa, Abdusattorov, and Sindarov—finished with two points. While Abdusattorov and Sindarov drew both their games, Praggnanandhaa scored wins with white against both players but lost the return games with black.
The contest was ultimately decided in the second tiebreak, where Praggnanandhaa drew against Abdusattorov and defeated Sindarov. Sindarov’s subsequent win over Abdusattorov sealed the championship for the Indian prodigy.
This marks Praggnanandhaa’s third major title of the year. Earlier, he won the prestigious Tata Steel Chess Tournament and the Grand Chess Tour Superbet Classic in Romania. He was also runner-up at the Stepan Avagyan Memorial earlier this month, showcasing his consistency and rise in the global chess circuit.
Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand congratulated Praggnanandhaa on social media, lauding the youngster’s composure and grit. “Congrats to @rpraggnachess for winning the Uzbekistan Chess Cup,” Anand posted. “Third major classical victory this year. Of all his wins this year, this one seemed the least likely with just two rounds to go.” Anand praised his comeback against Erigaisi and Abdusattorov and commended his performance in tiebreaks, calling it an “impressive demonstration of character.”
With this latest triumph, Praggnanandhaa cements his place not just as India’s top chess talent, but also as a formidable force on the world stage, signaling a generational shift in Indian chess and a promising future for the sport.
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