Gukesh D breaks Viswanathan Anand’s 36-year record to become India’s top-ranked player in chess

In a significant development in the world of chess, 17-year-old Grandmaster D Gukesh has surpassed Viswanathan Anand, in the live world rankings by the International Chess Federation (FIDE). This milestone came after Gukesh's victory over Misratdin Iskandarov of Azerbaijan in a second-round match at the World Cup.

 

 

 

Gukesh outclassed Iskandarov in just 44 moves. His latest gain of 2.5 rating points elevated his live rating to 2755.9, surpassing Anand's rating of 2754.0. Consequently, Gukesh now holds the ninth position in the world live rankings, pushing the five-time World Champion Anand to the 10th spot.

 

"Gukesh D won again today and has overcome Viswanathan Anand in live rating! There is still almost a month till next official FIDE rating list on September 1, but it's highly likely that 17-year-old will be making it to top 10 in the world as the highest-rated Indian player," the International Chess Federation (FIDE) tweeted.

 

 

 

CM of Tamil Nadu, M.K. Stalin, heaped praise on the young chess player, saying, "Congratulations Grandmaster

D Gukesh on your incredible achievement of entering the top 10 of world (FIDE) rankings for the first time. Your determination and skill have propelled you to the top echelon of chess, making you the highest-rated Indian player. Your achievement is an inspiration to young talents everywhere and a proud moment for Tamil Nadu!"

 

Anand, who first entered the World's top-10 in July 1991, has been India's highest-ranked player since January 1987. However, Gukesh's recent performance indicates a potential shift in this long-standing record. If Gukesh maintains his lead over Anand until September 1, he will be the first Indian to surpass Anand in the FIDE world rankings since Pravin Thipsay in July 1986.

 

Gukesh is set to face compatriot S L Narayanan in the third round of the tournament. Meanwhile, other Indian players, including GM R Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin, D Harika, and R Vaishali, have also advanced to the third round. However, Indian GM B Adhiban was eliminated after losing to Daniil Dubov, while Karthik Venkataraman managed to force a tie-break against No.2 seed Hikaru Nakamura.