Giri's Tongue-in-Cheek Reaction to Praggnanandhaa's Junior Chess Domination Sparks Debate

Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri, known for his wit, stirred the chess community with a playful reaction to R Praggnanandhaa achieving the World No. 1 junior ranking.

Giri, currently ranked world no. 10 with a live rating of 2748.0, quipped, "Chess juniors nowadays have to be at least U16, keeping track of U20 players is totally pointless," subtly acknowledging the exceptional talent of young players who are already making waves in the senior chess arena.

This remark followed Praggnanandhaa’s impressive victory at the UzChess Cup Masters 2025 in Uzbekistan. The 19-year-old's performance boosted his live rating to 2778.3, briefly positioning him as World No. 4 overall and surpassing his compatriots to become India’s highest-rated chess player. This put him ahead of seasoned players like World Champion D Gukesh (2776.6) and Arjun Erigaisi (2775.7) in the Indian rankings.

Praggnanandhaa's path to victory was a thrilling one. Entering the final day trailing Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov, he secured a critical win against Abdusattorov in the last classical round, leading to a three-way tie. Demonstrating remarkable composure, Praggnanandhaa triumphed in the blitz tiebreaks, ultimately winning the tournament in the second set of rapid games – marking his third major classical title this year.

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

This UzChess Cup victory adds to Praggnanandhaa's impressive 2025, which includes wins at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament and the Superbet Classic in Romania. He also secured a runner-up finish at the Stepan Avagyan Memorial.

While Giri’s comment may have been lighthearted, Praggnanandhaa’s performance underscores a significant trend: the future of world chess is rapidly evolving, with India at the forefront.