Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa has been making significant strides in the chess world. Most recently, he won the UzChess Cup Masters 2025 in Tashkent on Friday, June 27, 2025. This victory is his third title of the year.
Here are the key highlights:
India's No. 1 and World No. 4: With this win, Praggnanandhaa's live rating increased to 2778.3, making him the top-ranked Indian chess player in live ratings and reaching his highest career ranking as World No. 4. He has surpassed D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi in the live rankings.
UzChess Cup Masters 2025: He clinched the title after a dramatic final day, where he needed a crucial win against Nodirbek Abdusattorov to force a three-way tiebreak. He then emerged victorious in the blitz tiebreaks against Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov.
Successful 2025 Season: This year has been particularly strong for Praggnanandhaa. In addition to the UzChess Cup, he also won the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025 (defeating D Gukesh in a tiebreak) and the Grand Chess Tour Superbet Classic in Romania (winning a playoff against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja). He also finished as a runner-up at the Stepan Avagyan Memorial earlier this month.
Coach's Insights: His longtime coach, RB Ramesh, noted that Praggnanandhaa has adopted a "risky, more attacking and adventurous chess" style in 2025, moving away from a more solid approach in 2024. He also mentioned that Vaibhav Suri has been beneficial as Praggnanandhaa's second.
Future Plans: Praggnanandhaa has posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he is now heading to his "next challenge in Croatia."
