Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa continued to script records as the chess prodigy became the No. 1-ranked Indian player for the first time in his career. Praggnanandhaa achieved the feat on Tuesday, January 16 at the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, after defeating reigning world champion Ding Liren.
18-year-old Praggnanandhaa went past his idol Viswanathan Anand in the live classical chess rankings. He jumped 2 spots to 11th overall with 2748.3 rating points, 0.3 more than Viswanathan Anand.
Praggnanandhaa entered the fourth round of the prestigious tournament with a sensational win. He is only the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to beat a reigning world champion in classical chess.
Playing with the black pieces, Praggnanandhaa gained an advantage early on and maintained it throughout. His win over Ding Liren was his first in four rounds after starting the event with three draws. His ability to defeat elite players, including World Champions, has drawn comparisons to Viswanathan Anand, who himself is a five-time World Chess Champion and the first grandmaster from India.