Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa has become India's new No. 1 chess player, surpassing D. Gukesh in the live classical chess rankings, after a thrilling victory at the UzChess Cup Masters 2025 in Tashkent. This win has propelled the 19-year-old Grandmaster to World No. 4 with a live rating of 2778.3, marking his highest career ranking. Gukesh, the reigning world champion, now holds the second position among Indian chess players with a rating of 2776.6.

Praggnanandhaa's triumph at the UzChess Cup Masters was hard-earned. In the final round, he faced Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov, defeating him with the Black pieces in a Sicilian Defense. This victory created a three-way tie for first place with Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov, who both finished with 5.5 points out of 9. The tournament then proceeded to tiebreaks to determine the ultimate champion.

The first round of tiebreaks was a double round-robin blitz tournament. In a dramatic turn, all three players concluded with two points each after the blitz games, necessitating another tiebreaker round. In the second tiebreak round, Praggnanandhaa emerged victorious, securing 1.5 points and clinching the title.

Viswanathan Anand, the former world champion, congratulated Praggnanandhaa on social media, acknowledging the unlikely nature of the win with just two rounds remaining. Anand commended Praggnanandhaa's character and recognized his rise to fourth in the world rankings and the top-rated player in India. Praggnanandhaa responded to Anand's tweet, expressing his gratitude for the support and inspiration he has received.

Praggnanandhaa's coach, RB Ramesh, shared insights into the player's evolution, noting that they had worked on incorporating more adventurous play into his style. Ramesh also acknowledged the contribution of Vaibhav Suri, who has been assisting Praggnanandhaa.

This victory marks Praggnanandhaa's third major title in 2025, adding to his wins at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament and the Grand Chess Tour Superbet Classic in Romania. He also tied for first at the Stepan Avagyan Memorial earlier in June, though Aravindh Chithambaram won the title on tiebreak criteria.

Gukesh had previously ended Viswanathan Anand's 37-year reign as India's top-rated player in September 2023. He also became the youngest-ever challenger to the world championship by winning the 2024 FIDE Candidates Tournament.

Praggnanandhaa's recent success signals a shift in Indian chess, solidifying his position as a leading figure on the global stage.