Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa made history once again by attaining the top position among Indian chess players for the first time in his career. This remarkable achievement occurred on January 16 during the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, where the chess prodigy secured a victory over the reigning world champion, Ding Liren.
At just 18 years old, Praggnanandhaa surpassed his idol Viswanathan Anand in the live classical chess rankings, claiming the 11th spot overall with an impressive rating of 2748.3 points – 0.3 points higher than Viswanathan Anand.
With an incredible victory, Praggnanandhaa advanced to the renowned tournament’s fourth round. In traditional chess, he is just the second Indian, after Viswanathan Anand, to defeat a current world champion.
Competing with the black pieces, Praggnanandhaa seized an advantage from the early stages and successfully retained it throughout the match. This victory against Ding Liren marked his first win in four rounds after initiating the event with three draws.
His skill at taking down elite players, like as World Champions, has drawn comparisons to the great Viswanathan Anand. Anand, the first Indian grandmaster and five-time world chess champion, is well-known for his extraordinary accomplishments in the game. Sachin Tendulkar, the renowned Indian cricket player, praised the young chess prodigy on social media for his outstanding performance.
Praggnanandhaa’s rise to the top of the Indian player rankings comes after he had an outstanding result in the 2023 FIDE World Cup, finishing as the runner-up in this important competition. Even though he lost to the renowned Magnus Carlsen in the championship match, Praggnanandhaa’s outstanding accomplishments in Baku will always be remembered.
Notably, he made history by becoming just the second Indian to advance to the Chess World Cup final, behind the illustrious Viswanathan Anand. Praggnanandhaa achieved historic victory against Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura on this remarkable tour. In addition, his exceptional play earned him a coveted slot in the Candidates Tournament, demonstrating his rising stature in the chess community.