Pentala Harikrishna (born 10 May 1986) is an Indian chess grandmaster from Andhra Pradesh. He became India’s youngest grandmaster of the time in 2001, won the World Junior Championship in 2004 and reached the world’s top ten in 2016–17. For more than a decade he was India’s second-ranked player behind Viswanathan Anand. He was part of the team that won gold at the 2024 Chess Olympiad and helped Gukesh prepare for his world championship win.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Pentala Harikrishna |
| Born | 10 May 1986, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Age | 40 |
| Title | Grandmaster (2001) |
| Peak rating | 2770 (2016) |
| Spouse | Nadezda Stojanović (m. 2018) |
| Lives in | Prague, Czech Republic |
| Honour | Arjuna Award (2006) |
Early Life
Harikrishna learned chess at four from his grandfather in Guntur. He won national age-group titles and the world under-10 championship in 1996. He became an International Master in 2000 and a grandmaster in September 2001 at fifteen, then the youngest Indian to earn the title.
Career
He won the Commonwealth Championship in 2001 and the World Junior Championship at Kochi in 2004. In 2005 he won the Bermuda International and other strong open tournaments.
He won the Tata Steel Challengers group in 2012, the Biel Masters in 2013 and the Poker Stars Isle of Man tournament in 2015. In 2016 he crossed a rating of 2760 and entered the top ten, taking part in elite events such as Norway Chess and the Shenzhen Masters. He won the Prague Masters in 2022.
He has played for India in many Olympiads and won individual and team medals at Asian events. At Budapest in 2024 he was the reserve player in the team that won India’s first Olympiad gold in the open section, with Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi and Vidit Gujrathi.
He was a member of Gukesh’s team of helpers for the 2024 World Championship match against Ding Liren in Singapore.
Style
Harikrishna is known as a calm, positional player with excellent endgame technique.
Personal Life
He married the Serbian chess player Nadezda Stojanović in 2018, and they live in Prague.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Pentala Harikrishna born?
Pentala Harikrishna was born on 10 May 1986 in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India and is 40 years old.
Featured image: Pentala Harikrishna at the Chess Olympiad, Baku, September 2016. Photo by Andreas Kontokanis, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
