Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (born 10 August 2005), often called Pragg, is an Indian chess grandmaster and one of the best players in the world. He became the youngest International Master in history at ten and a grandmaster at twelve. In 2023, aged 18, he reached the final of the FIDE World Cup, losing to Magnus Carlsen. He was part of the Indian team that won gold at the 2024 Chess Olympiad and won the Tata Steel Masters in 2025.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa |
| Born | 10 August 2005, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Age | 21 |
| Title | Grandmaster (2018) |
| Coach | R. B. Ramesh |
| Sibling | Vaishali Rameshbabu (grandmaster) |
| Parents | Rameshbabu, Nagalakshmi |
| Honour | Arjuna Award (2022) |
| Known for | World Cup final 2023, wins over Magnus Carlsen |
Early Life
Praggnanandhaa was born in Chennai. His father, Rameshbabu, a bank employee who had polio as a child, and his mother, Nagalakshmi, enrolled his elder sister, Vaishali, in chess classes to keep her away from television. The little brother picked up the game by watching her. Both train under the grandmaster R. B. Ramesh. Their mother travels with them to tournaments, cooking South Indian food on a small stove.
Career
He won the world under-8 title in 2013 and the under-10 title in 2015. In 2016, at 10 years and 10 months, he became the youngest International Master ever. He earned the grandmaster title in June 2018 at 12 years and 10 months, then the second-youngest in history.
In February 2022, at 16, he beat the world champion Magnus Carlsen in an online rapid game, and he beat him again several times that year. In 2024 he defeated Carlsen in a classical game for the first time, at Norway Chess.
At the 2023 World Cup in Baku he knocked out the world numbers two and three, Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana, before losing the final to Carlsen in tie-breaks. The result qualified him for the 2024 Candidates Tournament in Toronto, where his sister also played in the women’s event.
He won team and individual success at the Budapest Olympiad in 2024, where India took gold for the first time. In February 2025 he won the Tata Steel Masters at Wijk aan Zee, beating the world champion Gukesh in a tie-break, and he added further elite titles during the year to qualify for the next Candidates.
Personal Life
Praggnanandhaa is known for his calm manner and the sacred ash he wears on his forehead. He and Vaishali are the first brother and sister both to become grandmasters.
Awards and Honours
Major Results
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was R. Praggnanandhaa born?
R. Praggnanandhaa was born on 10 August 2005 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India and is 21 years old.
What is R. Praggnanandhaa known for?
Known for: World Cup final 2023, wins over Magnus Carlsen.
Featured image: R. Praggnanandhaa plays at the Candidates Tournament, Toronto, April 2024. Photo by Eldar Azimov, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
