India’s chess scene is experiencing a surge in young, talented players, with several reaching the top of the game and making significant international impact. Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa recently became India’s No. 1 chess player after winning the UzChess Cup Masters and surpassing World Champion D Gukesh in live classical ratings.
Other notable players include Gukesh D, Arjun Erigaisi, Aravindh Chithambaram, and Vidit Gujrathi, all consistently ranked highly and making waves in global chess. Furthermore, Indian women players like Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, and Divya Deshmukh are also making their mark, with all four reaching the quarterfinals of the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025.
On International Chess Day, here is a look into some of the top names in India’s chess scene.
R Praggnanandhaa
R Praggnanandhaa is India’s chess prodigy who defeated World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in a classical game at the 2024 Norway Chess tournament. He’s currently ranked sixth in the world with a live rating of 2774.2 and leads the FIDE Circuit standings.
Praggnanandhaa became the youngest international master in history at the age of 10 years, 10 months, and 19 days. He is the world’s Second-youngest Grandmaster who achieved the title at the age of 12 years, 10 months, and 13 days.
He defeated World Champion Magnus Carlsen multiple times in rapid chess games, including in the Airthings Masters and FTX Crypto Cup 2022.
Praggnanandhaa won the Masters section after defeating Gukesh D in the playoff. He won the Grand Chess Tour Superbet Chess Classic Romania tournament in May 2025, scoring 5.5/9 after winning a playoff against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja. He won the UzChess Cup 2025 tournament in June 2025, gaining 12 rating points and securing the title after a dramatic comeback in the final rounds.
He currently ranks 4th in the world rankings, becoming India’s No. 1 player. He achieved his highest career ranking, surpassing Arjun Erigaisi and D Gukesh.
Other notable achievements include the Chess World Cup 2023 where Praggnanandhaa reached the final, becoming the world’s youngest player to do so and the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand.
He was also a part of the Indian team that won the gold medal in the Open section of the 45th Chess Olympiad.
D Gukesh
D Gukesh is the youngest-ever World Chess Champion and second from India after Viswanathan Anand. He won the 2024 World Chess Championship and is currently ranked 5th in the world with a live rating of 2776.6.
A rising star in Indian chess, D Gukesh is known for his impressive achievements at a young age. Gukesh became the youngest-ever World Chess Champion. He won the Candidates Tournament in 2024, earning the right to challenge for the World Championship. Gukesh surpassed a FIDE rating of 2750, becoming the youngest player to achieve this feat. He became a Grandmaster at the young age of 12 years and 7 months.
Gukesh won individual gold medals at the 44th and 45th Chess Olympiads and was part of the Indian team that won the team gold medal at the 45th Chess Olympiad. He received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award and was named the Player of the Year by the Asian Chess Federation in 2023.
Arjun Erigaisi
A top-ranked player in India and the 16th player to cross 2800 Elo rating, Arjun Erigaisi won the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025 and the Grand Chess Tour Superbet Chess Classic Romania in May 2025. Erigaisi has experienced a rapid rise in the world of chess world.
Arjun won the Grand Chess Tour Superbet Chess Classic Romania tournament in May 2024, securing 7.5 points out of 10. He reached a live rating of 2805.6, solidifying his position as one of the world’s top chess players. Arjun’s achievements showcase his exceptional talent and dedication to chess, making him one of India’s brightest chess prospects.
Vaishali Rameshbabu
Vaishali Rameshbabu holds the achievement of being the first Indian woman to become a Grandmaster alongside her brother R Praggnanandhaa, and a bronze medalist at the Women’s World Blitz Chess Championship 2024.
The renowned Indian chess grandmaster won the Girls’ World Youth Chess Championship for Under-12s in 2012 and Under-14s in 2015. She defeated future World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen in a simul competition at age 12 in 2013.
She has achieved significant Chess Titles such as Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title in 2018, International Master (IM) title in 2021 and Grandmaster title in 2023, becoming India’s third female Grandmaster.
Vaishali Rameshbabu won FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss Tournament 2023. She won the tournament with a score of 8.5/11, qualifying for the Women’s Candidates Tournament 2024. She won the top women’s prize and earned her final GM norm in Qatar Masters Open 2023. She won the 8th Fischer Memorial tournament in 2022 with a score of 7.0/9, securing her second GM norm.
Vaishali has also tasted success at the Olympiad. She was a part of the gold medal-winning team at the Online Olympiad 2020, she won individual bronze medal at the 44th Chess Olympiad in 2022, she was a part of the gold medal-winning team at the 45th Chess Olympiad in 2024.
She reached a peak rating of 2506 in August 2024, breaking the 2500 barrier for the first time. She ranked 11th in the world in women’s chess with a live rating of 2501.5. She became the first female grandmaster from Tamil Nadu and the first sister-brother duo to earn grandmaster titles with Praggnanandhaa.
She was honoured with India’s second-highest sporting honour, the Arjuna Award in 2024.
Aravindh Chithambaram
Aravindh Chithambaram climbed to 9th place in the live world rankings with a rating of 2757.8 after winning the 6th Stepan Avagyan Memorial chess tournament.
His notable achievements include winning the Prague Masters 2025, which he won with a score of 6/9, finishing a full point ahead of his nearest rivals. He won the Chennai Grand Masters 2024 on blitz tie-breaks against Levon Aronian. Aravindh secured a tie-break victory in the 6th Stepan Avagyan Memorial 2025, scoring 6.5/9 and entering the world’s top 10 chess rankings.
Aravindh Reached World No. 9 with a live FIDE rating of 2757.8. He surpassed a FIDE rating of 2700 for the first time in November 2024, reaching 2749 in April 2025.
He earned the Grandmaster title in 2015 when he was just 15 years old. He won the national championships twice, in 2018 and 2019. He joined S8UL Esports in April 2025, becoming one of the first Indian chess grandmasters to be signed by an esports organisation. He has also contributed to India’s gold-medal-winning team in the inaugural FIDE Online Olympiad.
Divya Deshmukh
Divya Deshmukh is young International Master who won the FIDE World Junior Girls Chess championship in 2024. She has won Chess Titles like Woman Grandmaster in 2021 and International Master in 2023.
She has won tournaments like the 2022 Women’s Indian Chess Championship, 2023 Asian Women’s Chess Championship, 2024 FIDE World U20 Girls Chess Championship and Sharjah Challengers 2024.
Divya has also achieved a champion at the Olympiad. She was a part of the gold medal-winning Indian team at the 2020 Online Chess Olympiad. She bagged an Individual bronze medal at the 2022 Chess Olympiad. She secured team gold and individual gold medals at the 45th Chess Olympiad in 2024.
Apart from the above, Divya Deshmukh has also defeated Women’s World No. 1 Hou Yifan in a dramatic blitz match in 2025. She contributed to Hexamind Chess Club’s bronze medal finish in the blitz event and delivered a silver medal performance in the rapid section at the 2025 World Rapid and Blitz Team Chess Championships. Deshmukh ranked among the top 20 women players in the world, with a peak rating of 2501 in October 2024.
Vidit Gujrathi
Vidit Gujrathi qualified for the 2024 Candidates Tournament and won the Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Play-In in March 2025. He won the FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2023, secured a spot in the Candidates Tournament 2024. He emerged victorious in the Gashimov Memorial 2023 showcasing his strategic prowess.
He won the Grandmaster tournament Biel Chess Festival 2019, demonstrating his skill. He also qualified for the Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in 2025. He was a part of the gold-medal winning Indian team at the 45th Chess Olympiad. He led the Indian team to victory as captain at the Online Chess Olympiad 2020.
Vidit finished sixth, defeating Hikaru Nakamura twice at the Candidates Tournament 2024. He reached the quarterfinals of the Chess World Cup in 2021 and 2023. He won individual silver and team gold medals at the European Chess Club Cup in 2022 and 2024. Before this, Vidith won the Under-14 World Youth Chess Championship in 2008.
He achieved the Grandmaster title in 2013, becoming India’s 30th grandmaster.
Nihal Sarin
Nihal Sarin is a prominent Indian chess grandmaster, a title which he achieved at the age of 14. He was part of the Indian team that won the gold medal at the 45th Chess Olympiad in 2024 and the 2020 Online Chess Olympiad. Nihal has bagged individual gold medals in various tournaments and is known for consistently finishing among the top in major tournaments.
Nihal was signed by S8UL Esports, marking a significant step in chess’s integration with esports. He is a young achiever who has been recognised for his exceptional talent and contributions to Indian chess.
Raunak Sadhwani
Raunak Sadhwani is a renowned Indian chess grandmaster with impressive achievements. He became a grandmaster when he was only 13 years old, making him the 9th youngest player in history and 4th youngest Indian.
Raunak bagged the FIDE World Junior Rapid Chess Championship title in 2023 with a score of 8.5/11. He won the U-10 Commonwealth Championship title in 2015 in New Delhi.
He was a part of the Indian team that reached third place in the open tournament at the 44th Chess Olympiad in 2022. He has earned praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarkable victory at the FIDE World Junior Rapid Chess Championship 2023.
Raunak reached a peak rating of 2681 in July 2025. He achieved a peak ranking of No. 44 in July 2025.