NWIMuoi623534 at 15:08, 31 March 2026

2026-03-31T15:08:05Z

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{{Short description|Indian chess grandmaster (born 2006)}}
{{Distinguish|Pranav Anand}}
{{Indian patronymic|Pranav|Venkatesh}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox chess player
| name = Pranav V
| image = PranavVenkatesh 2022.jpg
| caption = Pranav in 2022
| country = [[India]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|2006|10|13}}
| birth_place = [[Bengaluru]], Karnataka, India
| title = [[Grandmaster (chess)|Grandmaster]] (2022)<ref name="FIDE">{{cite web|url=https://ratings.fide.com/crt/main229176.pdf|title=FIDE Title Application (GM)}}</ref>
| peakrating = 2657 (April 2026)
| peakranking = No. 52 (April 2026)
| FideID = 25060783
}}

'''Pranav Venkatesh''' (born 13 October 2006), nicknamed as '''Buddy Pranav''',<ref>{{cite web |title=Pranav Venkatesh | Top Chess Players |url=https://www.chess.com/players/pranav-venkatesh |website=Chess.com |access-date=6 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250328094301/https://www.chess.com/players/pranav-venkatesh |archive-date=28 March 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> is an Indian [[chess]] grandmaster and the 2025 [[World Junior Chess Championship|World Junior Chess Champion]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kamath |first1=Amit |title=Another world champion from India: Pranav Venkatesh becomes World Junior Chess Champion |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/chess/pranav-venkatesh-becomes-world-junior-chess-champion-9874471/ |work=[[The Indian Express]] |date=8 March 2025 |language=en}}</ref>

==Chess career==
Pranav began playing chess at the age of 6, and had several coaches including Visweswaran Kameswaran. He obtained his first two GM norms at the Serbia Open in 2021 and in the Vezerkepzo GM tournament in [[Budapest]], [[Hungary]] in June 2022.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.chessbase.in/news/Pranav-Venkatesh-becomes-Indias-75th-Grandmaster|title=Pranav Venkatesh becomes India's 75th Grandmaster|date=22 August 2022|last=Ahmed|first=Shahid}}</ref>

In August 2022, Pranav obtained his final norm by winning the Limpedea Open in [[Baia Mare]], [[Romania]] championship, becoming the 75th grandmaster from India and the 27th grandmaster from the state of [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/chess/chennai-lad-v-pranav-becomes-indias-75th-grandmaster-8076865/|title=Chennai lad V Pranav becomes India's 75th Grandmaster|date=7 August 2022}}</ref>

In October 2022, he played for India in the World U-16 Youth Olympiad (alongside [[Pranesh M]], Harshad S, Rohit S, Mrittika Mallick, and Boramanikar Tanisha S), alongside competing in the [[Magnus Carlsen]] Academy Challenge, winning both events.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thesouthfirst.com/tamilnadu/15-year-old-tamil-nadu-gm-pranav-v-wins-gold-finishes-first-in-two-strong-international-tournaments-at-the-same-time/|title=15-year-old Tamil Nadu GM Pranav V wins gold, finishes first in two strong international tournaments at the same time|last=Tomar|first=Ajay|date=11 October 2022}}</ref> He later won chess24's Challengers Chess Tour by defeating [[Raunak Sadhwani]] in the final round.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://new.chess24.com/wall/news/v-for-victory-pranav-v-wins-challengers-chess-tour-in-style|title=V for victory! Pranav V wins Challengers Chess Tour in style|date=31 October 2022|last=Watson|first=Leon}}</ref>

In October 2023, he competed in the 38th edition of the [[European Chess Club Cup]] with Offerspill Sjakklub. Led by the world no.1 Magnus Carlsen, Offerspill Sjakklubb triumphed, after scoring a decisive last-round victory against Asnieres – Le Grand Echiquier (France).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-08 |title=Magnus Carlsen wins his first major team event for Offerspill Sjakklubb at 38th European Club Cup 2023 - ChessBase India |url=https://www.chessbase.in/news/European-Chess-Club-Cup-2023-Round-7-report |access-date=2024-01-13 |website=www.chessbase.in}}</ref> Pranav's overall performance of 5/7, including victories against [[Jorden van Foreest]] and [[Grigoriy Oparin]] in the last two rounds, earned him a tweet from Magnus Carlsen - "Pranav is buddy and buddy is Pranav".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chess-Results Server Chess-results.com - 38th European Chess Club Cup |url=https://chess-results.com/tnr774133.aspx?lan=1&art=9&turdet=YES&flag=30&snr=432 |access-date=2024-01-13 |website=chess-results.com}}</ref>

In January 2024, Pranav competed in the fifth edition of the Puzzles World Championships, hosted by chess.com, finishing 4th place overall. However, he produced the strongest resistance to eventual (5-time) winner [[Ray Robson]], achieving a score of 3-5 sets with an aggregate puzzle score of 416-430.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Levin |first=Anthony |date=2024-01-12 |title=Puzzles World Championship 2024: Robson Wins 5th Consecutive Title, Beats Young Gun” |url=https://www.chess.com/news/view/2024-puzzles-world-championship-robson-wins |access-date=2024-01-13 |website=Chess.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

In November 2024, Pranav won the Challengers section of [[Chennai Grand Masters#Challengers|Chennai Grand Masters]] and qualified to compete in main section of the event in 2025.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-11-12 |title=Chennai Grandmasters: Pranav bags Masters berth with Challenger title win |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/chess/chennai-grandmasters-pranav-bags-masters-berth-with-challenger-title-win/articleshow/115201103.cms |access-date=2024-12-17 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>

Pranav won two golds in the Under-18 Open Rapid, scoring 9.5/11, and Under-18 Open Blitz, scoring 19.5/22, section at the FIDE World Youth Rapid and Blitz Championship held in hotel Terme Čatež, [[Brežice]], Slovenia from 13 to 17 December 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-17 |title=Pranav Venkatesh clinches double Gold at World Youth Under-18 Open Rapid and Blitz 2024 - ChessBase India |url=https://www.chessbase.in/news/Pranav-Venkatesh-clinches-double-Gold-at-FIDE-World-Youth-Under-18-Open-Rapid-and-Blitz-2024 |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=www.chessbase.in}}</ref> Only the Dutch IM [[Eline Roebers]] and one other player could win a blitz game against Pranav.

Pranav won the [[World Junior Chess Championship]] held at [[Petrovac, Budva]] in [[Montenegro]] on 7 March 2025 with a score of 9/11.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=India's Pranav Venkatesh wins World Junior Chess Championship |url=https://sportstar.thehindu.com/chess/pranav-venkatesh-wins-world-junior-chess-championship-results-standings/article69304268.ece |access-date=7 March 2025}}</ref> He became the fourth Indian to win the World Junior title after [[Viswanathan Anand]] in 1987, [[Pentala Harikrishna]] in 2004, and [[Abhijeet Gupta]] in 2008.

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Indian grandmasters}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Venkatesh, Pranav}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:2006 births]]
[[Category:Chess Grandmasters]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Bengaluru]]
[[Category:Chess Olympiad competitors]]
[[Category:World Junior Chess Champions]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian chess players]]

{{India-chess-bio-stub}}

Pranav V - Revision history

NWIMuoi623534 at 15:08, 31 March 2026