Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa: Indian Chess Prodigy Who Quietly Conquered the World No. 1 Ranking

Indian chess prodigy, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa has undoubtedly defied his age after becoming the youngest-ever grandmaster in history at age 12 and defeating world number one Magnus Carlsen. Popularly referred to as “Pragg”, the Chennai-born chess grandmaster, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, started playing chess at the young age of five after being inspired by her sister, Vishali Praggnanandhaa, who is also a professional chess player and earned her grandmaster title in December 2023.

Hailing from a middle-class background and boasting a staggering net worth of nearly INR 9 crores, the youngest grandmaster ranked as “World No.1”, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa has undoubtedly defied the odds and earned enormous fame at a young age.

In this article we will take a look at the dominance of Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, who fearlessly conquered the 64 squares and became the youngest grandmaster in the history of chess.

R Praggnanandhaa: Indian Chess Prodigy Who Quietly Conquered the World No. 1 Ranking

• Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa’s Early Years & Milestones

Born on 10 August 2005, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa was introduced to chess at a young age by her sister, Vishali Praggnanandhaa, who is a Woman Grandmaster (WGM) and International Master (IM). Although born into a middle-class family, Pragg dreamt of conquering the 64 squares at a very young age. Under the guidance of his coach, Ramesh RB, Pragg clinched the 2013 World Youth Chess Championship (Under-8) in Al-Ain, UAE at the young age of seven and grabbed immense fame for his dominant exploits.

Additionally, Pragg also became the youngest FIDE Master (FM) after clinching the coveted 2015 World Youth Chess Championship (Under-10) in Greece. Furthermore, Pragg earned the 2016 International Master (IM) title, becoming the youngest IM in history at that time at the age of 10 years. Moreover, at the age of twelve in 2018, Pragg became the second-youngest Grandmaster (GM) ever in chess history.

• Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa’s Elite Years

Well, the years between 2019 and 2021 proved to be a complete game changer for the Chennai-born grandmaster, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa. Pragg clinched the prestigious Xtracon Open in Denmark with 8.5/10 points, defeating some of the most prominent Grandmasters.

Additionally, Pragg became a well-known and dominant name in the world of chess after he clinched the online Polgar Challenge as part of the Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour, finishing ahead of several top juniors.

• Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa’s World Champion Title

In February 2022, Pragg defied all the odds and created history after clinching the eighth round of the Airthings Masters championships after defeating the world chess champion, Magnus Carlsen. Well, just a few months down the line, in May 2022, Pragg stunned the world champion (chess), Magnus Carlsen, for the second time by defeating him at the Chessable Masters online rapid chess tournament.

Pragg proved his dominance in the 64 squares all over again and defeated the world No.1 Magnus Carlsen 4-2 in the final round of the FTX Crypto Cup in August 2022. Well, if you think this was the pinnacle, Pragg had even more to conquer. The world champion Pragg defeated world number one Magnus Carlsen in the Norwegian Chess tournament on 29 May 2024, claiming his first classical game victory over Carlsen.

• Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa’s Career Earnings

The Indian chess grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa boasts an enormous net worth of INR 9 crores. An anecdote of R Praggnanandhaa’s career earnings is provided below:

Year	Tournament	Placement	Prize Money (USD)
2022	FTX Crypto Cup	2nd Place	$37,500
2023	FIDE World Cup	2nd Place	$80,000
2023	Various Tournaments	—	$122,679
2024	Tata Steel Masters	1st Place	Not Disclosed

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