India’s Pranav V Farms 50 Rating Points in 22 Days
The recently concluded FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 in Samarkand has been a breakthrough event for many up-and-coming young talents, and Grandmaster Pranav Venkatesh from India is one of them.
Pranav, at 18, is one of India’s brightest chess talents and has taken significant strides in the year of 2025. Starting off his year by becoming the World Junior Chess Champion, Pranav has now broken into the top 100 of the world to wrap up his third quarter. Pranav, often known as “Buddy Pranav” in the online chess circuits, has been a force to be reckoned with in online blitz chess alongside his extremely strong compatriot Nihal Sarin. However, Buddy is also shaping up into a formidable opponent in classical chess, as he showcased back-to-back super-GM-level performances in the last 30 days.
Pranav, rated 2596, started his campaign at the Fujairah Global Superstars, a 2550+ GM-only open tournament, where Pranav scored an undefeated 7/9, winning the tournament with a full point’s margin and collecting 28 Elo points on his way.
Pranav followed up on his form and managed a fair outing in Samarkand. Pranav V scored 6.5/11 in the FIDE Grand Swiss and collected another 22 Elo points with a solid performance. Having lost just a single game of chess in the last 20 speaks to the matured and solid playing style of the Indian talent. Pranav V is now rated 2646 (#75 in the world) and stands as the 7th highest-rated junior in the world. And it’s yet another Indian phenom, knocking at the doors of the super GM club!
