Anand was the best for 3 decades, now Pragg is third India No 1 in 3 years

R Praggnanandhaa edged compatriots D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi to become India No. 1 for the first time in his career.

The 19-year-old from Chennai clinched the UzChess Cup Masters event last week to move ahead of Gukesh and Erigaisi in FIDE live ratings. Praggnanandhaa has 2778 Elo points, just two points ahead of Gukesh and three better than Erigaisi.

Praggnanandhaa has also jumped to a career-best ranking of World No. 4, behind Norway's Magnus Carlsen and Americans Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana.

Though the difference is only marginal and could switch during a classical tournament, Praggnanandhaa's rise to the pinnacle of Indian men's chess is unsurprising. Five-time World Champion and former India No 1 Viswanathan Anand posted: "He is deservedly the new number four in the chess world and the highest-rated player in India."

Praggnanandhaa's triumph in Tashkent was his third title of the year, following the Tata Steel Masters in February and the Superbet Chess Classic Romania in May.

Anand dominated Indian men's chess for three decades, from 1986 when he first became the top-ranked national player. Pentala Harikrishna briefly climbed to the top, but Anand reclaimed the position.

In August 2023, Anand lost his place (this time permanently) when Gukesh became India's No 1. At 55, Anand does not play regularly but is good enough to remain in the top five among Indians and famously defeated Erigaisi in the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Team Chess Championships in London.

Gukesh and Erigaisi alternated in holding the India No. 1 position over the last two years. Meanwhile, Praggnanandhaa, Aravindh Chithambaram, Vidit Gujrathi and Harikrishna maintained their place in the 2700+ club.

Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Erigaisi, Vidit and Harikrishna were members of the Indian team that clinched the Chess Olympiad title last September. Three months later, Gukesh became the youngest World Champion, defeating Ding Liren of China.

India had one undisputed king in Anand for three decades, but in the last three years, the country has had three No. 1s, which is a clear indication of the rise in the quality of Indian chess.