Pranav Venkatesh lifts Fujairah Global Chess 2025 crown

Rising Indian star and reigning World Junior Champion Pranav Venkatesh has added another milestone to his young career by winning the Fujairah Global Chess 2025 Superstars title in emphatic fashion.

The 18-year-old from Chennai scored 7 points out of 9, remaining unbeaten across nine rounds and finishing a full point ahead of his nearest rivals.

Pranav sealed the championship with a decisive final-round victory over Spain’s Grandmaster Alan Pichot.

Along the way, he also defeated heavyweights like Nihal Sarin, Eduardo Iturrizaga Bonelli, Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara, and Amin Tabatabaei, while drawing against other top contenders including Sanan Sjugirov and Abhimanyu Mishra.

The inaugural Fujairah Global Chess, hosted at the Fujairah Chess & Culture Club under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, brought together more than 530 players from over 70 countries, competing for a $125,000 prize fund.

Pranav pocketed the winner’s purse of $23,000 along with a significant rating boost of 28 Elo points.

Among the other Indians in the fray, Aditya Mittal impressed with a strong finish, tying for fifth place on 5.5 points and securing sixth position on tiebreaks. Meanwhile, GM Nihal Sarin, who suffered a setback in the very first round against Pranav, recovered with steady play to also finish on 5.5 points, but had to settle for 12th place.

His victory also comes just days after he booked his spot at the prestigious FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 in Samarkand by defeating GM Kazybek Nogerbek in the Asian Wildcard Match.

He will now join India’s top names - D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, and P Harikrishna - alongside world stars like Alireza Firouzja, Ian Nepomniachtchi, and Nodirbek Abdusattorov.

Final Standings (Top-5)

GM Pranav Venkatesh (India) – 7

GM Brandon Jacobson (USA) – 6

GM Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara (Mexico) – 6

GM M. Amin Tabatabaei (Iran) – 6

GM Zhu Jiner (China) – 5.5