Anish Giri's Jocular Take on Praggnanandhaa's Rise to Top Junior Chess Rank Sparks Debate

Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri, known for his sharp wit, sparked a lively debate in the chess community following R Praggnanandhaa's ascent to the top of the junior chess rankings.

Giri, currently ranked world no. 10 with a live rating of 2748.0, playfully commented on the young Indian prodigy's achievement. "Chess juniors nowadays have to be at least U16, keeping track of U20 players is totally pointless," he quipped, alluding to the exceptional talent emerging at increasingly younger ages and their ability to challenge established senior players.

This remark followed Praggnanandhaa’s impressive victory at the UzChess Cup Masters 2025 in Uzbekistan. The 19-year-old's triumph propelled him to a live rating of 2778.3, making him the World No.4 overall and surpassing legends to become India’s highest-rated chess player.

He overtook World Champion D Gukesh (2776.6) and Arjun Erigaisi (2775.7) in the rankings, marking a significant shift in the Indian chess landscape.

Praggnanandhaa's path to victory was filled with drama. He began the final day trailing Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov but secured a crucial win against Abdusattorov in the last classical round, forcing a three-way tie.

In the ensuing blitz tiebreaks, Praggnanandhaa demonstrated remarkable composure, ultimately winning the tournament in the second set of rapid games. This victory marked his third major classical title of the year.

Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand praised the young player's resilience, stating, "This win seemed the least likely with just two rounds to go… An impressive demonstration of character."

The UzChess Cup victory adds to Praggnanandhaa's impressive 2025 season, which includes wins at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament and the Superbet Classic in Romania. He also recently secured second place at the Stepan Avagyan Memorial.

While Giri's comment might seem to downplay the significance of junior rankings, Praggnanandhaa’s recent performance underscores a crucial point: the future of chess is here, and India is at the forefront.