On March 7, 2025, Indian Chess Grandmaster (GM) Pranav Venkatesh from Bengaluru (Karnataka) won the ‘International Chess Federation(FIDE) World Junior U20 (Under-20) Championship 2025’ title, held from February 26 to March 7, 2025, in Petrovac, Montenegro.
- With an impressive 9 points from 11 rounds, he remained undefeated in the open category, clinching the title after defeating FIDE Master (FM) Matic Lavrencic of Slovenia.
- While, Woman International Master(WIM) Anna Shukhman(FIDE) won the Girl’s title with a score of 9/11 after defeating Ayan Allahverdiyeva of Azerbaijan.
- The tournament featured 157 players, including 12 Grandmasters (GMs) in the Open category, and 98 players in the Girls category.
About CM Pranav Venkatesh :
i.With this victory, Pranav climbs to the 10th spot on the list of the highest-ranked juniors in the world, boasting a rating of 2628.3.
ii.He ends India’s 17-year wait for the World Junior title, following GM Abhijeet Gupta’s victory in 2008.
iii.He became the fourth Indian to win the World Junior Championship, following Viswanathan Anand (1987), Pentala Harikrishna (2004), and Abhijeet Gupta (2008).
Achievements:
i.In 2022, he won the Limpedea Open in Baia Mare, Romania, becoming India’s 75th Grandmaster (GM) and the country’s youngest GM at the age of 15.
ii.In 2024, he won the Dubai Police Global Chess Challenge, defeating strong Grandmasters such as Aravindh Chithambaram, Amin Tabatabaei, and Vasyl Ivanchuk.
iii.In 2024, he won double golds in the Under-18 category at the World Youth Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship, held in Terme Catez, Slovenia.
Winners of FIDE World Junior U20 Championship 2025:
Open Category:
| Rank | Name | Country | Earned Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Pranav Venkatesh | India | 9 |
| 2 | FM Matic Lavrencic | Slovenia | 8.5 |
| 3 | GM Elham Amar | Norway | 8.5 |
Girls Category:
| Rank | Name | Country | Earned Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WIM Anna Shukhman | FIDE | 9 |
| 2 | IM Ayan Allahverdiyeva | Azerbaijan | 8 |
| 3 | IM Lu Miaoyi | China | 8 |
Prize Money:
The total prize fund for the 2025 FIDE World Junior U20 Championship was 10,000 Euros.
- The top three prizes in the Open section were 3,000 Euros, 2,000 Euros and 1,000 Euros, along with a medal and trophy for each.
- In the Girls’ section, the top prizes were 2,000 Euros, 1,250 Euros, and 750 Euros , also with a medal and trophy for each winner.
Points to Note:
i.Indian Chess GM Aravindh Chithambaram Veerappan won the 2025 Prague Chess Festival Masters, breaking into the world’s top 15 with a new ranking of 14th.
ii.In February 2025, Indian Chess GM Arjun Erigaisi became the first Indian to win Freestyle Friday, defeating GM Shant Sargsyan of Armenia.
iii.Gukesh Dommaraju (India) holds the top spot on the list of the highest-ranked juniors in the world, while Divya Deshmukh (India) ranks 1st on the list of the highest-ranked under-20 girls in the world.
About International Chess Federation (FIDE – Fédération Internationale des Échecs):
President – Arkady Dvorkovich
Headquarters – Lausanne, Switzerland
Founded – 1924
