Prraneeth is India’s 82nd Grandmaster

V. Prraneeth.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

V. Prraneeth became Telangana’s sixth and India’s 82nd Grandmaster when he outwitted GM Hans Niemann of the US in the penultimate round of the Baku Open 2023. The win against the top seed helped Prraneeth cross Elo 2500 in live ratings, 2500.5 to be exact.

The 15-year-old Prraneeth earned his first GM-norm at the First Saturday tournament in March 2022 where he also became an IM. He earned his second GM-norm at Biel MTO in July 2022. Nine months later, he earned his final GM-norm at the second Chessable Sunway Formentera Open 2023.

“One dream is fulfilled. It is an unforgettable moment in my career,” a visibly delighted Prraneeth told The Hindu on Sunday. “Though it is part of my journey to some of the bigger goals, it is a very significant milestone,” he said.

“The immediate targets are crossing Elo 2500, then 2700. Obviously, the ultimate goal is to win the World Championship which I know is not that easy but I will not be found wanting in terms of effort and hard work,” the youngster said.

“One year back, though I had a decent game I was getting into time pressure. But, now slowly improving in this regard,” Prraneeth said. “I was trained by N.V.S. Ramaraju Sir till 2021 before hiring Israel GM Victor Mekhalevski and he is helping me a lot in analysing games,” the Intermediate first year student of Vishwa Chaitanya College said.

“It is good to see so many young GMs from India and I feel this helps Indian chess in a big way,” said the young player who admires Magnus Carlssen and Anatoly Karpov.

“The next big event for me is the Asian Continental championship in Kazakhstan and I hope to do well,” he said.

“Definitely, looking for some kind of sponsorship as you all know it is very challenging to train and compete at the highest level because a lot of travelling is involved. Hope the GM title will get me a sponsor,” Prraneeth added.