Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa has ascended to become India`s top-ranked player in classical chess, securing this position after winning his third title of the year last week at the UzChess Cup 2025. While it may seem counterintuitive to speak of a “resurgence” for someone as young as the 19-year-old Praggnanandhaa, the year 2025 has undeniably marked a significant turnaround for the Grandmaster hailing from Chennai.
Towards the end of the previous year, Praggnanandhaa expressed to ESPN his dissatisfaction with the caliber of his play during the latter half of 2024. He mentioned actively working on improving his game with the support of his team, led by coach RB Ramesh. Following his triumphs in three high-profile tournaments this year—the Tata Steel Chess Masters, Superbet Chess Classic, and UzChess Cup—it is evident that Praggnanandhaa has recaptured his peak form and continues to improve.
However, for now, he isn`t overly concerned with holding the India No. 1 ranking or his new status as world No. 4. In a recent chat, he commented, “That can change when any of us play just one game, I am just one point above Gukesh, so that doesn`t mean much.”
Despite his modest view on the rankings, his results indicate a substantial positive shift. From a purely chess strategy standpoint, he stated he hasn`t altered his approach significantly. The crucial change, he explained, lies in his mental game—a renewed determination to fight for victories and persist through the most challenging circumstances, not only within individual games but throughout entire tournaments.
His victory at the UzChess Cup serves as a perfect example of this mental fortitude. With only two rounds remaining, he trailed leader Nodirbek Abdusattorov by 1.5 points and faced encounters against two of the competition`s arguably toughest opponents: Arjun Erigaisi and Abdusattorov himself.
“I wasn`t even thinking about winning the tournament; I just wanted to play a good game against Arjun,” Praggnanandhaa shared. He achieved precisely that, defeating Erigaisi. His prospects received another boost when other results also favored him. The possibility of catching Javokhir Sindarov and Abdusattorov arose, provided Sindarov drew his final round. This scenario materialized, and Praggnanandhaa`s win against Abdusattorov forced a three-way tie-break, which he ultimately won.
Excelling in tie-breaks with faster time controls has become a recurring theme for Praggnanandhaa this year. He defeated World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju in the blitz tie-breaks at the Tata Steel Masters in January. Subsequently, at the Superbet Classic in Romania, he triumphed in a three-way tie-break against Alireza Firouzja and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.
He partly attributes his skill in tie-breaks to his mental readiness for the battle, although he also acknowledges that luck played a notable part, particularly in the UzChess Cup where he managed to recover from disadvantageous positions against both Abdusattorov and Sindarov during the tie-breaks.
More than the tie-break wins themselves, Praggnanandhaa looks back fondly on the difficult path he navigated to reach them. In Uzbekistan, beating Erigaisi with the black pieces created an outside opportunity for him before the final round. Similarly, at the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk Aan Zee, a crucial win with black against Fabiano Caruana in the 11th round out of 13 allowed him to remain within striking distance of the then-leader, Gukesh.
The newly empowered, mentally resilient Praggnanandhaa, supported by Adani Sportsline, also currently holds a comfortable lead atop the FIDE Circuit 2025 standings. If he maintains this leading position, he will qualify for the 2026 FIDE Candidates tournament through the Circuit. However, he is not leaving anything to chance. Recognizing that a significant portion of the year remains and standings can fluctuate considerably, he is focused on upcoming major events. The FIDE Grand Swiss and the FIDE World Cup later in the year (where he finished as runner-up to Magnus Carlsen in 2023) offer direct pathways to qualify for the Candidates, and Praggnanandhaa is well-positioned to make a strong push for these opportunities.
Nevertheless, a packed schedule of chess awaits him. Praggnanandhaa`s remaining year is quite demanding. He remarked, “I would like some rest, but it doesn`t look like I am going to get it.”
Before the Grand Swiss in September, his commitments include the Grand Chess Tour event in Croatia starting this week, followed by the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis next month. A Freestyle Chess tournament and the eSports World Cup are also slated to take place in the interim.
For the eSports World Cup in Riyadh later this month, he has joined Team Liquid. If he successfully navigates the qualifying stages and reaches the main event, he anticipates sharing the stage with teammates such as Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana, an experience he looks forward to. However, he pragmatically reminded this writer that he must first win the qualifying tournament before thinking about the main event.
Ultimately, his primary objective remains qualification for the Candidates tournament. As things currently stand, he is in a strong position to achieve this. Yet, if the experiences of the past year have taught him anything, it`s that form can be inconsistent. Therefore, he understands the need to consistently play his best chess and maintain the same level of fight demonstrated in major tournaments this year to secure his place in the Candidates and potentially challenge Gukesh for the World Championship title.
Marcus Bellamy