Prague masters

American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana: India’s teenage chess sensation D. Gukesh continued his meteoric rise, climbing to a career-best world No. 3 in the latest FIDE classical ratings released on Saturday. Meanwhile, R. Praggnanandhaa has re-entered the top 10, marking a strong resurgence of Indian chess on the global stage.

Gukesh, the reigning world champion, has been in exceptional form since his historic triumph over China’s Ding Liren in the World Championship final in December. The 18-year-old gained 10 points to reach a 2787 rating, overtaking compatriot Arjun Erigaisi and American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana. He now sits just behind World No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura (2802) and long-time leader Magnus Carlsen (2833).

Gukesh’s rapid ascent comes despite his narrow loss to Praggnanandhaa on tiebreaks at the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk aan Zee. Erigaisi, who previously held the top Indian spot, has slipped to No. 5 with a 2777 rating.