Anish Giri's Jocular Jab: Praggnanandhaa's Surge to Top Junior Spot Ignites Debate on Chess's Generational Shift

Giri's Witty Remark on Praggnanandhaa's Junior Chess Dominance

Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri, known for his sharp wit, stirred up the chess community with a playful reaction to R Praggnanandhaa becoming the world's top-ranked junior player.

"Keeping track of U20 players is totally pointless," quipped Giri, currently ranked world No. 10 with a live rating of 2748.0, hinting at the rapid rise of young talents challenging the established order in senior chess.

This comment followed Praggnanandhaa's impressive win at the UzChess Cup Masters 2025 in Uzbekistan. The victory propelled the 19-year-old to a live rating of 2778.3, briefly making him the fourth highest-rated player in the world and India's top-ranked chess player.

He surpassed both World Champion D Gukesh (2776.6) and Arjun Erigaisi (2775.7) in the Indian rankings.

Praggnanandhaa's path to victory was dramatic. After starting the final day trailing Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov, he secured a crucial win against Abdusattorov in the last classical round. This resulted in a three-way tie.

Showing remarkable composure, Praggnanandhaa won the tournament in the second set of rapid games during the blitz tiebreaks, claiming his third major classical title of the year.

Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand praised the young player's resilience. He stated that Praggnanandhaa's win "seemed the least likely with just two rounds to go," calling it "an impressive demonstration of character."

The UzChess Cup victory adds to Praggnanandhaa's successful 2025, which includes wins at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament and the Superbet Classic in Romania. He also recently finished as runner-up at the Stepan Avagyan Memorial.

While Giri's comment was lighthearted, Praggnanandhaa's achievements demonstrate a clear trend: the future of chess is arriving sooner than expected, with India at the forefront.

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