Indians continue ascent: Aravindh climbs to world number 11 in April FIDE rankings

Up to four Indian players in the Candidates?

Aravindh Chithambaram's ascent to world number 11 in the FIDE chess rankings marks yet another milestone for Indian chess. With five Indian players now in the world's top 20, the country's presence in elite-level chess continues to grow. Notably, the legendary Viswanathan Anand has been relegated to fifth place among his compatriots, underscoring the emergence of a new generation of Indian talent.

Among these rising stars are three players under the age of 21 who have firmly established themselves in the world's top 10: world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, Arjun Erigaisi and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu.

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Now joining them is 25-year-old Aravindh. Hailing from Madurai, Aravindh recently claimed victory at the prestigious Prague Masters, scoring 6/9. He then followed this success with a flawless 2/2 performance in the German Bundesliga. His strong form this month resulted in an 8/11 performance, earning him 17.5 rating points and securing his position as world number 11 in FIDE's latest rankings, published on 1 April.

Aravindh's steady rise has seen him surpass established players such as Levon Aronian, Anish Giri and Jan-Krzysztof Duda. His current trajectory places him as a strong contender for qualification to the next Candidates Tournament. He currently ranks third in the 2025 FIDE Circuit standings, trailing only former world champion Ding Liren and fellow Indian grandmaster Praggnanandhaa.

With key tournaments such as the FIDE World Cup and the Grand Swiss on the horizon - both of which offer qualifying spots for the Candidates - Aravindh stands a good chance of securing a place in the prestigious event. If his performances continue at this level, 2026 could see up to four Indian players in the Candidates Tournament, with Vidit Gujrathi (who played in the 2024 edition) also in contention for a spot.

It is a known fact that Aravindh has been coached by the extremely successful RB Ramesh, while he also confessed to have received direct help from Sundararajan Kidambi during the Prague Masters last month.

Vrolijk 0 - 1 Aravindh

Bundesliga 2024/25 - week 11

Vrolijk, Liam2512

0–1

Aravindh, Chithambaram VR.2706

German Bundesliga 2024-25 Germany22.03.2025[CC]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Nbd2 0-0 5.a3 Be7 6.e4 d6 7.Be2 Nfd7 8.b4 e5 9.d5 a5 10.Bb2 axb4 11.axb4 Rxa1 12.Qxa1 c5 13.b5 Nf6 14.h3 This is the novelty in this line of the Bogo-Indian, which has been tried in the past by the likes of Luke McShane and Alvaro Alonso Rosell (with white) and by the likes of Alexander Grischuk and Praggnanandhaa (with black). g6 15.0-0 Nh5 16.Re1 Nd7 17.g3 Ng7 18.Bf1 f5

White's somewhat timid play allows Black to break open lines with ...f7-f5. With the queenside locked, it is Aravaindh who intends to attack on the other flank of the board. 19.exf5 gxf5 20.Bg2 Qe8 21.Nh2 Qg6 22.Kh1 Bf6 23.Ndf1 Once Black's light-squared bishop joins the fight, White will have trouble dealing with his opponent's attack. Engines think this was not the most accurate way to get ready for a potential onslaught, though the nuances are difficult to assess in a practical game. Stronger is 23.Nhf1 and e.g. Nh5 24.Re3 Kh8 25.Ra3 getting at least a bit of counterplay while keeping the knights flexible on the kingside. 23...Kh8 24.Ne3 Bg5 25.Qb1 Nf6 26.Nf3 Bh6 27.Nf1 Qh5 28.N1h2 Nge8 29.Ng1 Bg7 30.Ne2 Ne4 31.Kg1 Ng5 32.h4 Nf7 33.f4 Qg6 34.Nf1 Nf6 Following a manoeuvring phase, in which the engine's evaluation remains close to balanced, White decides to open up the centre. 35.fxe5

Engines consider that White should keep the status quo with 35.Qa1 and e.g. Ne4 36.Qa5 Bf6 with a tense-filled position. 35...dxe5 36.Qd3 Ne8 37.Qe3 b6 38.Nc1 Ned6 39.Qc3 Rg8 40.Nd3 Aravindh is now for choice. But here he fails to find the correct pawn push in the centre. f4 Better is 40...e4 41.Nf4 Qh6 42.Qc1 Bd7 43.Ne3 though Black will need to remain patient before breaking through on the kingside. 41.Nxe5 Qf6 Right after reaching the time control, Aravindh miscalculates and falters, granting White a clear advantage. Correct is 41...Bxe5 42.Rxe5 Qb1 43.Ba1 fxg3 and Black makes progress while keeping things under control on the dark-squared long diagonal. 42.Qf3 Nxe5 43.Bxe5 Qxe5

Black gives up his queen. He will emerge with a rook and a bishop for a queen, though he is also two pawns down. White is better. 44.Rxe5 Bxe5 45.gxf4 Bd4+ 46.Kh2 A first mistake by Vrolijk. Placing the king on h1 would allow him to block a potential rook check from h4 with Nf1-h2. 46.Kh1 Rg4 47.h5 Rh4+ 48.Nh2 Bg4 49.Qa3 and White defends his king. 46...Rg4 47.Kh1 Correcting the former mistake. Bf5 A mistake by Aravindh. Much better is 47...Rxh4+ 48.Nh2 Rh6 49.Qa3 Rg6 48.Nh2 Rg8 49.Qe2 But it is Vrolijk who makes the last mistake! This move allos the light-squared bishop - often a key attacking piece in these structures - to create a deadly threat. Correct is 49.Qb3 Ne4 50.Nf3 Rg3 51.Kh2 and, for example, after Bg4 White gets to untangle with 52.Nxd4 Rxb3 53.Nxb3 and the endgame is winning for White. 49...Bh3

The light-squared bishop cannot escape due to the threat of checkmate on g1. Vrolijk resigned. 0–1

Bundesliga games by Aravindh - Weeks 11 and 12

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Links

• FIDE rankings
• Impressive Aravindh wins Prague Masters with 2830 TPR
• Aravindh beats Aronian in tiebreaks, wins Chennai Grand Masters