Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu (born August 10, 2005) is one of India’s brightest rising stars in the chess world, rapidly ascending toward the game's absolute elite. His most notable achievements to date include reaching the final of the 2023 Chess World Cup—which qualified him for the 2024 Candidates Tournament, where he placed 5th out of 8—and winning the prestigious 2025 Tata Steel Chess Tournament.
A true chess prodigy, Praggnanandhaa became the youngest ever to earn the title of International Master and the second-youngest grandmaster in history. His older sister, Vaishali, is also a grandmaster, making them the first brother-sister duo in history to both achieve the GM title—and the first siblings ever to qualify for the Candidates Tournament.
Despite his relatively short career, his rise can only be described as meteoric. Known affectionately as “Pragg,” he first gained global attention by winning the Under-8 World Championship at the 2013 World Cadet Chess Championship, earning the title of FIDE Master. Two years later, he claimed the Under-10 world title as well. In 2016, at the age of just 10 years, 10 months, and 19 days, he became the youngest International Master in history. Then, at 12 years, 10 months, and 13 days, he became the second-youngest grandmaster ever—behind only Sergey Karjakin. (That record has since been broken by American prodigy Abhimanyu Mishra, who is also of Indian descent.)
In 2022, Pragg represented India at the Chess Olympiad in Chennai, playing for India-2, which secured the bronze medal. He also added another world title to his résumé in 2019, winning the Under-18 World Youth Championship with a dominant 9/11 score.
One of his breakthrough moments came in 2022, when he defeated reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen at the online Airthings Masters rapid tournament—making him only the third Indian ever to do so. He proved it was no fluke by defeating Carlsen again at the Chessable Masters that May, and not once, but three times at the FTX Crypto Cup later that year, where he finished second overall. But perhaps even more significant was his victory over Carlsen in a classical game at the 2024 Norway Chess tournament—an undeniable sign that he belonged at the highest level.
Pragg was also part of the Indian team that won gold in the Open section at the 45th Chess Olympiad, while his sister Vaishali helped the women's team secure gold as well.
And yet, his crowning individual achievement came in early 2025, when he triumphed at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament. In a dramatic finish, he tied with fellow Indian grandmaster Gukesh D at 8.5/13. After losing the first tiebreak game, he made a stunning comeback, winning the next two games to clinch the title.
The position in the diagram arose after a furious attack by Black, during which both players missed opportunities. Black is now to move and can win the exchange with 43...Bxd1. However, there’s an even stronger move that brings the game to a swift and decisive end. Do you see what it is?
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