Overview

• Praggnanandhaa defeated Nodirbek Abdusattorov with Black in the final classical round to secure a three-way tie at 5.5 points
• He emerged victorious in the subsequent double round-robin blitz tiebreak against Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov to claim the UzChess Cup Masters title
• The win lifted his live FIDE rating to 2778.3, moving him past Arjun Erigaisi and reigning world champion D Gukesh to become India’s top-ranked player and world number four
• Under RB Ramesh’s guidance and with Vaibhav Suri as his second, he has adopted more adventurous openings and shown exceptional nerve in high-pressure playoffs
• Having cemented his status among the global elite, the 19-year-old is eyeing Candidates qualification and has signed with Team Liquid ahead of chess’s debut at the Esports World Cup