Arjun Erigaisi has continued retaining his excellent rating of 2801 for himself and will continue staying fourth in the recently released FIDE January 2025 rankings. Erigaisi, at a young stage in classical chess, remains exactly one Elo point behind American world grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura (2802) as well as keeps Fabiano Caruana an Elo point adrift, at 2803. His ranking places him among the best players in the world, further solidifying his place as one of India’s top chess players. He remains the second Indian, after Viswanathan Anand, to break the 2800 rating mark in classical chess.
Gukesh Dommaraju Climbs to Fifth
The first youngster on the list is Gukesh Dommaraju who recently became the World Classical Chess Champion and moved to the fifth position in the FIDE rankings with 2783. He also won the Singapore one, defeating erstwhile champions there. In this success story, a victory moment from Singapore was a perfect moment in his career. The top five rank testifies to his growing stature in the chess world.
Viswanathan Anand: Always in Top 10
Five-time World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand remains a player of immense consequence in world chess, at tenth position in the FIDE rating list of January 2025 with a score of 2750. Many years of regular performance and unbroken consistency have led to his enduring presence in the top 10, even when newer Indian champions are coming out. His significance to Indian chess cannot be enumerated, and hence his ranking gives a testament of his long standing legacy and further influence.
India, indeed, is gaining a strong chess presence in the top 50.
The latest rankings highlight the dominance of India in chess as several Indian players have found their way into the top 50. Along with Erigaisi and Gukesh, other prominent players include Praggnanandhaa at 13th position with 2741, Aravindh Chithambaram at 23rd with 2726, and Vidit Santosh Gujrathi at 24th with 2721. Other strong performers are Pentala Harikrishna at 36th with 2695 and Nihal Sarin at 41st with 2687, highlighting the depth of chess talent from India.
Young Indian Chess Stars: A Bright Future Ahead
India’s chess future seems bright as young talents start to emerge strongly on the global scene. In this list, Raunak Sadhwani (48th with 2675) and Murali Karthikeyan (77th with 2651) are quickly coming up the ranks. Other prospects include Leon Luke Mendonca (95th with 2639), S.L. Narayanan (99th with 2638), and Abhimanyu Puranik (100th with 2636) who could be the future Indian chess grandmasters.
Women’s Chess: Koneru Humpy Leads India’s Charge
Koneru Humpy, an Indian chess player, is one of the world’s top female players, ranked 6th among women with a rating of 2523. As the top-ranked Indian woman, Humpy is a shining example of hope for aspiring Indian women chess players and others who wish to break into the ranks of the greats in international chess.
Indian Women Chess Players Making Their Mark
Several Indian women take the board, including Humpy; therefore, several women at the top of the rankings; among them is Divya Deshmukh ranked 14th with rating 2490 and Dronavalli Harika ranked 16th with rating 2489. Even other emerging players like Vaishali Rameshbabu, ranked 19th with a rating of 2476 and Vantika Agrawal, ranked 39th with a rating of 2411, are slowly taking their positions. The future for Indian women’s chess looks bright and promising.
Junior Chess: Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa Lead the Way
The junior men’s ranking is led by Gukesh Dommaraju, followed closely by Praggnanandhaa. The fact that these young Indian talents have ranked so well is a testament to the increasing influence of India in the world of junior chess, as it prepares to face the chess titans of the future.
The FIDE rankings of January 2025 show India is a powerful chess-playing nation. From the experience of Viswanathan Anand to the bright young stars such as Arjun Erigaisi and Gukesh, the chess talent in India seems to be increasing day by day. With success from both experienced champions and bright young prodigies, India is likely to continue at the top of global chess for a long time to come.
