A recap of Indian chess in 2025

The big moments everyone will remember

When I wrote the 2024 recap, it felt like Indian chess was on the rise. There were big wins and historic moments. There was a sense that Indian chess was gathering speed. In 2025, that feeling became reality. The progress we spoke about last year showed up month after month, across age groups, formats and events. This year, Indian chess delivered spectacularly! Let’s take a look back at some of the most memorable moments of the year...

January

January started with a bang! There were four Indians in the world’s top 13: Arjun Erigaisi (4th), D Gukesh (5th), Viswanathan Anand (10th) and R Praggnanandhaa (13th). 13 Indians were in the world's top 100 overall, with several others climbing in the rankings too.

On the women’s side, Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh, Harika Dronavalli and R Vaishali were among the top 20 female players in the world.

In terms of the average rating of the top players, India remained second in the world, just 12 Elo rating points behind the USA. The gap at the top was not so big. The gap at the very top was not that big, and Indian chess was very much in the race.

Youngest World Champion D Gukesh was honoured with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, India’s highest sporting honour, for his incredible achievements in 2024, including winning individual and team gold at the Chess Olympiad and the world title. Vantika Agrawal was also recognised with the Arjuna Award, the country’s second-highest sports award, for her brilliant performances at the Olympiad and a team silver at the Asian Games in 2023. It was great to see two of India’s chess stars getting the applause they truly deserve from the nation’s top sporting honours.

February

“Fab-ruary” began with Indian players winning the Wimbledon of Chess. At the Tata Steel Masters, one of the toughest and most awaited tournaments in the calendar, R Praggnanandhaa emerged on top, with D Gukesh finishing second. Seeing two young Indians occupy the top spots at such an event felt special. Around the same time, Vedant Panesar made his mark by winning the Tata Steel Qualifiers and earned himself a place in the Challengers for 2026.

Off the board, chess continued to get its share of the spotlight. Tania Sachdev was named BBC Changemaker of the Year. This award recognised her long and meaningful contribution to the game. Over the years, she has won medals at national and international events, including the Asian Championships, Commonwealth tournaments, and Chess Olympiads. Alongside her playing career, she has also helped bring chess closer to fans through her clear and engaging commentary.

At the Sportstar Aces Awards, Indian chess had another proud moment. The Indian Men’s team (D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi and Pentala Harikrishna) and Women’s team (Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal and Tania Sachdev) were honoured as National Team of the Year for their historic double gold at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest. IM Divya Deshmukh was named Sportswoman of the Year (Non-Olympic) for her brilliant season, including a World Junior Girls Championship title and double gold at the Olympiad.

March

D Gukesh reached World No. 3 in the March 2025 FIDE rating list, the highest ranking of his career so far. R Praggnanandhaa also moved up, climbing six places to World No. 8 after his amazing performance at the Tata Steel Masters. What stood out was the wider picture. 12 Indians were now in the world’s top 100.

At the Prague Masters 2025, Aravindh Chithambaram had a really impressive run and finished as the outright champion. He remained undefeated and performed at a rating of 2829. After the win, he shared a personal goal of trying to reach a 2800 rating in the next couple of years. The victory also opened doors to top events like the Grand Chess Tour. This win was a very important step in his career.

Pranav Venkatesh won the FIDE World Junior Chess Championship 2025. He stayed at the top of the standings from fairly early on and held his nerve through the final rounds. This was a special moment for Indian chess. Because Pranav joined the elite list of Indians to win the World Junior title, which includes Viswanathan Anand, Pentala Harikrishna and Abhijeet Gupta. This came 17 years after India last had a World Junior champion in 2008 (Abhijeet Gupta).

At the FIDE World School Chess Championship 2025, Pragnika Vaka Lakshmi was the star for India in the youngest age group. In the Under-7 Girls section, she scored a perfect 9 out of 9 to win Gold for India. She finished well ahead of the rest of the field with an unbeaten performance. In the same event, India also picked up two more medals. Om Esh Gottumukala won silver in the Under-7 Open and Divi Bijesh secured silver in the Under-11 Girls category. Together, these results gave India three medals at the World School Chess Championship 2025.

April

In April, Arjun Erigaisi returned to the World No. 4 spot. R Praggnanandhaa climbed to World No. 7, continuing his steady rise. Aravindh Chithambaram reached a career-best World No. 11, after his Prague Masters win and solid performances in other events. It felt like four Indians in the world’s top 10 was no longer far away.

Another big achievement came from India’s young players at the Western Asian Youth Chess Championships 2025. They brought home a total of 31 medals! 6 Gold, 14 Silver and 11 Bronze across classical, rapid and blitz events. That medal haul included 16 individual medals and 15 team medals.

Indian youngsters showed another brilliant performance at the FIDE World Cadet Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships. Divi Bijesh was the star who clinched Gold in the Under‑10 Girls Rapid with an unbeaten 10/11 and Silver in the Under‑10 Girls Blitz with 9/11. Anvi Deepak Hinge scored 9.5/11 to win Silver in the Under‑8 Girls Rapid, and Kiyanna Parihaar won Bronze in the Under‑10 Girls Blitz with 9/11. Another proud moment for India’s young players on the world stage!

Aswath S had a fantastic tournament at the Grenke Open 2025. He scored 8 out of 9 points and remained undefeated, finishing ahead of strong Grandmasters on tie‑breaks to take first place. He also earned his maiden Grandmaster norm in the event. He was the only IM to finish in the top ten among a large international field!

May

In the May 2025 FIDE rating list, GM Koneru Humpy climbed back to World No. 5 among women players. Divya Deshmukh also moved up a spot, climbing from 20th to 19th in the women’s rankings. With this, India continued to have four players (Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavali, Vaishali Rameshbabu and Divya Deshmukh) in the women’s top 30.

Praggnanandhaa won his first-ever Grand Chess Tour tournament, the Superbet Chess Classic 2025. He was tied for first place with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja, but after winning the playoffs, he claimed the title. This victory came shortly after his strong performance at Tata Steel.

Bardiya Daneshvar won Gold in the Open section at the Asian Individual Chess Championship 2025, finishing with 7/9 points. Nihal Sarin scored the same but had to settle for the silver medal on tiebreaks. He, along with six other players, qualified for the FIDE World Cup 2025 based on their performances at the event. The six other players were: GM Iniyan Pa, GM Raja Rithvik R, GM S L Narayanan, GM Pranesh M, IM Harshavardhan G B and GM Karthikeyan Murali. Srihari L R earned his Grandmaster title in the same event.

June

In the June 2025 FIDE rating list, GM Arjun Erigaisi rose back up to World No. 3. GM R Vaishali also climbed the rankings, moving up to World No. 14 from 16 among women players. Seven Indians remained in the world’s top 30 on the Open list, and four Indian women were among the top 20 in the women’s rankings. India retained the No. 2 position behind the USA, based on the average rating of the top ten Open players. The gap to the USA narrowed to just one Elo point.

Once again, Aravindh Chithambaram grabbed attention by winning the 6th Stepan Avagyan Memorial. He and Praggnanandhaa both scored 6.5/9, but Aravindh clinched the title on tie-breaks. Another win to add to his impressive year!

India won five medals at the Western Asian Junior Chess Championships 2025. Keerti Shree Reddy took Silver in the Girls Rapid, while Mrittika Mallick won Silver in the Girls Blitz section. IM Mayank Chakraborty earned Bronze in both the Open Rapid and Open Blitz sections. Saranya Devi Narahari secured Bronze in the Girls Classical category. India’s juniors continued to impress with strong performances across formats and age groups!

After this, Mayank Chakraborty had an excellent result at the Sharjah Masters B 2025. He finished clear first with 7.5/9 score. He stayed solid throughout the tournament and ended up a full point ahead of the field. This performance was a good confidence booster for Mayank. On the other hand, Shubham Shukla dominated the Sharjah Masters C 2025. He scored 8.5/9 points and won the tournament with a round to spare, a full point ahead of the competition.

Praggnanandhaa grabbed another strong win of the year at the UzChess Cup 2025. The tournament was full of ups and downs for him. He lost two games in a row in the middle rounds, but he fought back! This victory moved him up to World No. 4 in live ratings, making him India’s No. 1. Pragg impressed everyone (again!) with his ability to handle pressure and turn tough situations around.

Bharath made Bharat proud at the 53rd World Open 2025 by winning two Gold medals! Bharath Subramaniyam from Tamil Nadu went unbeaten with 7.5/9 to take the Classical title and a perfect 9/9 in the Blitz section. This was a memorable double win for Indian chess!

July

Praggnandhaa officially became World No. 4 and India No. 1 in July. Arjun Erigaisi was right behind him at World No. 5, and D Gukesh stayed at No. 6. Pragg’s rise nudged his fellow compatriots slightly down the rankings.

Another month, another achievement by our young stars! At the FIDE World Cup Cadets 2025, India won seven medals: Three Gold, two Silver and two Bronze. In the U-10 Open, Sarbartho Mani won Gold, Oishik Modal won Silver whereas Aarit Kapil secured a Bronze medal. In the Under‑10 Girls, Divi Bijesh took Gold and Sharvaanica A S Bronze. In the U‑12 Girls, Pratitee Bordoloi won Gold while Aadya Gowda secured a Silver medal.

I repeat… another month, another achievement by our young stars! At the Asian Junior Chess Championships 2025, Indian players brought home six medals.

FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025 turned out to be one of the most remarkable events of the year for Indian women’s chess. Divya Deshmukh made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win the Women’s World Cup! She beat Koneru Humpy in the tiebreaks and clinched the title. In doing so, she also earned her Grandmaster title, became India’s 88th GM and the youngest female ever to win this event! Both Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy qualified for the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026. 

India’s 88th GM Divya Deshmukh! | Photo: FIDE/Anna Shtourman

Indian para-chess player Vaibhav Gautam added another proud moment for Indian chess by winning the Silver medal in the Men’s Wheelchair category at the 24th World IPCA Individual Chess Championship 2025. He scored 6.5/9 in the tournament and performed well above his rating. His achievement stands as an inspiration for many para-chess players across the country!

August

This result brought back memories of school and college days. The kind where, if your school won something, you would proudly mention it everywhere. The students of Velammal MHS School must have felt that same joy when their team won the FIDE World Schools Team Championship 2025. One more reason to brag was their perfect score of 16/16. They really won it in style! The players behind this cool achievement were Ilamparthi A R, Pranav K P, Aswath S, Daakshin Arun and Keerti Shree Reddy.

Every year, Indian players make their mark at the Abu Dhabi Chess Festival. At its 31st edition, Mithilesh Ranjithkumar won the Under-16 Juniors event. He remained unbeaten and scored 8/9. In the Under-18 Academy Blitz, Mayank Chakraborty scored a perfect 9/9 to win the tournament. It turned out to be another rewarding edition of the festival for Indian chess.

Praggnanandhaa once again showed why he belongs among the very best at the Sinquefield Cup 2025. He stayed in the title race right till the very end. With a 5.5/9 score, he finished tied for first place with Wesley So and Fabiano Caruana. In the blitz playoffs, Pragg beat Caruana and kept his title hopes alive. He then lost the second game to Wesley So and had to settle for a silver medal. Still, it was another strong performance by him this year.

India won three medals at the Asian Amateur Chess Championships 2025. Bristy Mukherjee was the standout, who scored a perfect 9/9 to win Gold in the Women’s Rapid event and also took Bronze in the Women’s Under-2300 Classical category. Diya Chowdhury won Bronze in the Under-2000 Women's Classical event. It was a nice set of results for India, with all the medals in this event coming from women players.

September

In September, Indian chess had another proud moment as GM R Vaishali defended her title at the FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss 2025. She finished with 8 out of 11 points and clinched the championship on tiebreaks after holding former women’s world champion Tan Zhongyi to a draw in the final round. With this win, Vaishali became the first player ever to win two Grand Swiss titles in a row in either the Open or Women’s section. This victory also earned her a direct spot in the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026.

India won another three medals at the FIDE World Cadet Chess Championship 2025. Sharvaanica A S became the Champion, while Kiyanna Parihaar won a Bronze medal in the Under-10 Girls category. In the Under-10 Open, Sarbartho Mani scored 8.5/11 and took Bronze medal. Yet another brilliant performance by our players!

October

Nihal Sarin finally reached the 2700 rating mark! He became the tenth Indian to do so. Arjun Erigaisi climbed to World No. 4, with R Praggnanandhaa just behind him, while D Gukesh dropped out of the world top 10 for the first time since May 2024. There were two Indians in the top 10 and six in the top 30. On the women’s side, after her stunning performance at the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025, Divya Deshmukh rose to World No. 11.

India’s medal drought at the World Youth Under‑18 Open Chess Championship 2025 finally came to an end when IM Sriram Adarsh Uppala won the Bronze medal in the Under‑18 Open. He scored 8.5/11, the same as the Gold and Silver medalists, and secured third place on tie‑breaks. This was India’s first World Youth medal in over three years.

Kishan Gangolli gave Indian chess another proud moment at the 2nd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities 2025 by winning the Gold medal. In the previous edition, he had won Silver, so this was a step up and a well-deserved reward for his consistent performance. India’s overall team finished 12th among 34 teams from across the world, but Kishan’s Gold was the country’s only medal in the tournament.

November

In November, Gukesh returned to the world top 10. Arjun and Praggnanadhaa slipped slightly to the sixth and seventh rank, but India had seven players in the world top 30. Divya’s rating moved back above 2500. There were six Indians among the top 100 women.

This year was a landmark chapter for Indian chess because the FIDE World Cup 2025 was held on our soil. We had a massive squad of 24 Indian players, our largest squad ever! In this event, Divya Deshmukh was the only woman participating. The knockout format of the World Cup is famous for “giant” upsets. Our number came down to 17 in Round 2, 10 in Round 3, and 5 in Round 4. By the start of Round 5, only two Indians remained in the field of 16 players. Arjun Erigaisi and P Harikrishna carried the flag forward.

But Harikrishna also got eliminated in Round 5 tie-breaks and Arjun was India’s only hope. He fought incredibly through the Quarter-finals, but his run too came to an end against the eventual finalist, Wei Yi. But still, this World Cup was significant for Indian chess. Because just look at these videos…

India had a strong showing at the Asian Schools Chess Championships 2025. We won a total of 13 medals (8 individual and 5 team) in this event.

Another tournament where Indian players were successful was the Commonwealth Chess Championships 2025. We bagged… 35 medals across Classical and Blitz events!

India picked up two medals at the FIDE World Amateur Chess Championship 2025. Anshu Kr. Pathak won Silver in the Under-1700 Open, scoring 7.5/9, whereas in the Under-1700 Women’s section, Disha U A scored 6.5/9 and earned a Bronze medal on tie-breaks.

India had a big medal haul at the 27th Asian Youth Chess Championships 2025, winning a total of 49 medals: 13 Gold, 19 Silver, and 17 Bronze across various age groups, formats and team events.

Madhavendra Pratap Sharma added another big milestone to Indian chess by winning the U-12 Asian Chess Championship. He scored 7.5/9 with six wins and three draws to take Gold. He also earned the FIDE Master title and became the youngest player from Madhya Pradesh to do so.

December

In the last month of the year, Arjun Erigaisi returned to World No. 5, after his impressive performance at the World Cup. Over the course of 2025, India’s presence at the very top saw a slight dip in numbers. In January, India had 13 players in the Open top 100, but by December, this figure stood at 11. A similar trend was seen in the women’s rankings. At the start of the year, ten Indian women featured in the world's top 100, which was reduced to seven by December. Divya Deshmukh slipped to World No. 12, though she continued to remain among the highest-ranked Indian women players.

Praggnanandhaa capped off a fantastic year by winning the FIDE Circuit 2025. He kept delivering strong and consistent performances in top classical events this year. His steady run paid off as it earned him a spot in the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament. A well-deserved reward for his consistency!

Arjun Erigaisi won the Jerusalem Masters 2025. But this victory was extra special, as it came against none other than Viswanathan Anand! The two faced off in an exciting final. After two rapid games ended in draws, the match was decided in blitz tie-breaks, where Arjun won the first game and then held a draw in the second to secure the title.

Nihal Sarin clinched the 4th President Cup Masters 2025 title. He won it with a round to spare. It was a great result after he crossed the 2700 rating milestone.

The FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships 2025 brought the chess year to a close on the biggest possible stage. Arjun Erigaisi secured Bronze in both Rapid and Blitz sections, whereas Koneru Humpy won Bronze in the Women’s Rapid section. Even Savitha Shri B and GM R Vaishali played well, but they narrowly missed out on medals. It was a fitting way to wrap up a long and memorable year for Indian chess!

Phew… so many achievements in just one year! And honestly, I am not even tired of mentioning them. I just hope for even more... because Indian chess is on fire!!!!