Pranav Venkatesh wins World Junior Chess Championship, ending India’s 17-year wait

New Delhi: India reclaimed the World Junior Chess Championship (Under-20) open title after 17 years, with Grandmaster Pranav Venkatesh emerging victorious in Petrovac, Montenegro, on Friday. He secured the championship after drawing against Slovenia’s Matic Levrencic in the 11th and final round.

Venkatesh, who won the challengers' section in the Chennai International in 2024, continued his impressive form among junior players worldwide, remaining unbeaten throughout the tournament.

He registered seven wins and four draws, finishing with nine points out of a possible 11. When the final round pairings were announced, it was clear that a draw would be sufficient for him to claim the title.

Levrencic, playing with black, chose the Sicilian Defence, but the game quickly entered uncharted territory as Venkatesh sacrificed a pawn early to gain an advantage in development. Levrencic then opted for a safe approach and agreed to a draw after just 18 moves. Levrencic is likely to secure either the silver or gold medal.

Venkatesh's success seemed inevitable, given his recent performances, particularly after being selected for the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy, where Viswanathan Anand himself mentors and selects students. Interestingly, Anand first made his mark on the global stage by winning the World Junior Championship in 1987. P Harikrishna followed in 2004, and Abhijeet Gupta secured the title in 2008.

In the girls’ section, Divya Deshmukh won the championship when it was held in Ahmedabad in 2024. Before her, D Harika clinched the title in 2008, while Koneru Humpy emerged victorious in 2001. In a post shared on X, Anand praised Venkatesh for his achievement: "Congratulations to the World Junior Champion Pranav Venkatesh. He has been in great form lately. Our @WacaChess mentee. He is very meticulous in his work and constantly analyses his own games, comes back with suggestions and takes feedback. You join a very prestigious line of World Junior Champions!"
(With PTI Inputs)