Arjun Erigaisi becomes India's no.1 in latest FIDE rankings

Arjun Erigaisi, the 20-year-old chess prodigy hailing from Telangana, became India's no.1 ranked chess player in the latest FIDE rankings released by the International Chess Federation.

With a standard rating of 2756, he surpassed the legendary Vishwanath Anand to acclaim the top rank of the country, becoming the second Indian since D Gukesh to do so. He also broke into the top 10 world rankings by climbing up five spots to no.9, making him the fourth Indian to get into the top 10 world rankings, the other three being Anand, Gukesh and Harikrishna.

Anand is ranked no.11, Praggnanandhaa is placed at the 14th spot while Gukesh occupies the 16th place in the world rankings. Arjun Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh will all be participating in the FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2024, the biggest chess tournament, scheduled to begin on April 4.

Magnus Carlsen retains his no.1 spot with a rating of 2830. He opted out of the Candidates tournament due to his displeasure with the format the game is poised to be conducted with.

There are no major changes in the women's rankings with three Indian women inside the top 15 rankings with Koneru, ranked at no.5, being the highest position occupied by an Indian.

India is ranked no.2 in terms of average rating of the top 10 players, 11 behind leaders USA.