India’s world chess champion, D Gukesh, has reached a career-best No. 3 ranking in the latest FIDE classical ratings. His fellow Indian player, R Praggnanandhaa, has also made it back into the top 10. The 18-year-old Gukesh, who won the world title in Singapore in December 2024, gained 10 rating points and now has a rating of 2787.
D Gukesh Reaches Career-Best No. 3 in FIDE Rankings
In the Chess World Championship Final, Gukesh defeated China’s Ding Liren to become the youngest world champion in the classical format. However, since winning the title, Gukesh’s form has slightly declined. He lost to Praggnanandhaa on tiebreak in the Tata Steel Masters.
The March #FIDERating lists are out!
Highlights 👇
🇳🇴 Magnus Carlsen continues his reign at the top.
🇮🇳 World Champion Gukesh D gained 10 points, climbing to world #3 for the first time.
🇮🇳 Praggnanandhaa R gained 17 points returning to the top 10.
🇨🇳 Hou Yifan continues her… pic.twitter.com/cTDzlk7sAT— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) March 1, 2025
Despite his recent losses, Gukesh’s ranking remained unaffected. He has now surpassed Arjun Erigaisi and Fabiano Caruana. Gukesh is currently ranked third, trailing only Hikaru Nakamura (2802) and Magnus Carlsen (2833), who holds the top spot globally.
Erigiasi, who had been India’s highest-ranked player for a long time, has dropped to fifth with a 2777 rating. Praggnanandhaa, currently playing in the Prague Masters, has re-entered the top 10 for the first time since July last year, climbing to No. 8 with a 2758 rating after gaining 17 points from his victory in the Tata Steel Masters.
In the women’s rankings, Koneru Humpy remains the only Indian player in the top 10, holding the 6th spot with a 2528 rating. R Vaishali (2484) and Harika Dronavalli (2483) are ranked 14th and 16th, respectively.
It’s important to note that FIDE ratings differ from live Elo ratings.
Praggnanandhaa Dominates Prague Masters with Commanding Win
Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa secured an easy win against Nguyen Thai Dai Van of the Czech Republic, while Aravindh Chithambaram became the sole leader after defeating top seed Wei Yi of China in the third round of the Prague Masters.
Praggnanandhaa, considered the favorite to win the tournament, played a commanding game. In his words, it was “just a position to play.” The game featured a Nimzo-Indian defense, and despite Dai Van having an extra pawn, the Indian easily navigated the complexities. The decisive moment came on move 14, giving Praggnanandhaa a clear advantage. He later won a rook for a minor piece, securing the win.
After two draws in the first two rounds, this victory was crucial for Praggnanandhaa. Reflecting on his performance, he said, “Yesterday (the second round) was nothing, in the first round I had a good position.”
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