In April 2024, the chess world gathered in Toronto for the most eagerly anticipated Candidates Tournament in a decade. Eight of the strongest players on the planet competed for the right to challenge World Champion Ding Liren. Among them was Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu — just 18 years old, already a grandmaster for six years, and carrying the hopes of a chess-obsessed nation on his shoulders. He finished joint second with 8.5 points out of 14, one point behind winner Gukesh Dommaraju, in one of the finest Candidates debuts by any teenager in the event’s history.
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Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, one of India’s brightest chess talents. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
How Pragg Earned His Seat at the 2024 Candidates
Qualifying for the Candidates Tournament is itself a monumental achievement. The field is assembled through a combination of FIDE Circuit events, the Grand Swiss, the Grand Prix series, and direct nominations — meaning every player at the table has proven themselves among the world’s very best.
Pragg earned his spot through elite tournament results and a FIDE rating that had climbed to 2747 by the start of 2024 — placing him firmly in the world top 10. He became a grandmaster at just 12 years, 10 months in August 2018, the youngest in the world at that time, and had never slowed down. By the time the 2024 Candidates arrived, he had already pushed Magnus Carlsen to tiebreaks in the 2023 World Cup final — a head-to-head result against the highest-rated player in history that announced his arrival on the global stage.
His inclusion in the Toronto field was not a surprise to anyone paying attention. What nobody predicted was the margin of his performance.
You can follow Pragg’s full career stats and live game history on his Shatranj Live profile page, where all his rated games are tracked in real time.
Round-by-Round Highlights: A Tournament for the Ages
The 2024 Candidates was a 14-round double round-robin — every player faces every other player twice across three weeks. Pragg accumulated 8.5 points out of 14, placing him joint second alongside Hikaru Nakamura, one of the most decorated American players in chess history, who had himself scored 7.5/8 in a previous Candidates.
That single comparison makes Pragg’s achievement tangible. A teenager, in his first-ever Candidates Tournament, matched the score of a five-time US Champion and rapid/blitz world-class specialist across one of the longest elite events on the calendar.
Pragg started with a trademark burst of aggression, winning early games that set the tone for his three weeks in Toronto. He played with fearless creativity throughout, never shying away from tactical complications even against opponents with decades more classical experience. His opening preparation was sharp and modern — particularly in the Nimzo-Indian and Sicilian — and his middlegame play showed a positional maturity that defied his age.
There were inevitable stumbles. Tournament chess at this level is unforgiving, and Pragg dropped points in games where he held advantages. But his ability to recover — to return to the board the next day pressing for wins — was the defining quality of his run.
“Pragg has shown that he belongs at the top table. His performance in Toronto was not a surprise to those of us who have watched him grow — it was confirmation.” — Viswanathan Anand, five-time World Chess Champion and Pragg’s mentor
Key Wins: Taking Down the Elite
Among Pragg’s standout results in Toronto were victories against players rated above 2700 — opponents with vastly more Candidates experience and tournament miles in their legs.
His tactical sharpness was decisive in middlegame battles where he outplayed experienced opponents and converted with clean technique. Against players who typically win through endgame precision, Pragg demonstrated patience and accuracy. Against tacticians, he matched complexity with complexity and came out ahead.
These wins were built on deep preparation, an aggressive fighting spirit, and an ability to find critical moves under maximum time pressure. For Indian fans watching — and millions were, following live on Chess.com and chess-results.com — each Pragg win felt like confirmation of what they had long known: that this young man from Chennai was going to be world champion someday.
The India chess community celebrated every result. Pragg and his compatriot Gukesh Dommaraju both had strong tournaments simultaneously — an unprecedented achievement in the event’s 67-year history.
What Went Wrong — and What Went Right
No Candidates performance is without painful moments. Pragg suffered losses that, at the highest level, carry real rating and standing consequences. A loss in a critical game against one of his closest rivals cost him at least a share of the lead, and there were endgame positions where more precise technique would have converted additional points.
The right frame for evaluating this performance is simple: Pragg, at 18, in his first Candidates, competed against the best players in the world for 14 rounds and was never out of contention. He was not overwhelmed. He was not out of his depth.
His psychological composure was remarkable for his age. His preparation was thorough and original. His game-to-game resilience — the ability to absorb a loss and return the next day with full fighting intent — is the quality that separates top-10 players from everyone else, and he brought it to Toronto naturally.
“Pragg’s results speak for themselves. He plays without fear. That kind of temperament is something you cannot teach — you either have it or you don’t, and he has it.” — R.B. Ramesh, Praggnanandhaa’s longtime coach and International Master
Gukesh’s Victory and What It Meant for Indian Chess
The tournament ended with a result that made history: Gukesh Dommaraju, Pragg’s fellow Indian prodigy and friend, won the 2024 Candidates outright with 9 points from 14 games, earning the right to challenge Ding Liren for the World Championship. Gukesh won that match in Singapore in December 2024, becoming the youngest World Champion in chess history at 18 years and 3 months, breaking the record set by Garry Kasparov in 1985.
The fact that Gukesh pipped Pragg for the top spot is one of chess history’s more bittersweet storylines. Two Indian teenagers — childhood rivals, training partners, national team colleagues — separated by a single point at the summit of the chess world. For any other young player, finishing behind Gukesh might have stung. For Pragg, it was context: the player who finished ahead of him went on to become World Champion. There is no shame in that.
What the Toronto Candidates proved, beyond any doubt, was that Indian chess had arrived. Two players from the same country, the same generation, finishing first and joint second — it was an unprecedented achievement in an event first held in 1950, and it sent a message to the chess establishment that could not be ignored.
Pragg’s Path to the 2026 Candidates
After Toronto, Pragg continued playing at the elite level — participating in the Grand Chess Tour, Norway Chess, and the FIDE Circuit — collecting rating points and sharpening his game with the intensity of someone who has unfinished business. His FIDE rating reached a career high of 2763 in early 2025, placing him consistently in the world top 8.
That unfinished business now has a venue: Paphos, Cyprus, where the 2026 Candidates Tournament will take place from March 29 to April 15, 2026. Pragg has qualified once again, and this time he arrives as a known quantity — dangerous, experienced, and hungry.
The difference between the 2024 and 2026 versions of Pragg is significant. He has Candidates experience. He has played more high-stakes classical matches. He has seen how the best players operate under maximum pressure across a full 14-round cycle, and he has learned from it. The errors are fewer. The missed opportunities are rarer. The opening repertoire is deeper.
What to Expect from Pragg in the 2026 Candidates
Three things can be said with confidence about what Pragg will bring to Paphos.
First, expect aggression. Pragg does not play for draws. His style is built on initiative, tactical complexity, and fighting chess. He plays for wins, especially in the early rounds, and opponents must be prepared for sharp, deeply prepared opening lines.
Second, expect improvement. The gap between a first Candidates and a second one is typically decisive. Players learn things about themselves in these events that cannot be replicated anywhere else. Pragg knows what winning a game at this level requires. He knows how to stay in contention across a grueling three-week schedule.
Third, expect pressure from the favorites bracket. Pragg enters the 2026 Candidates as one of the pre-tournament favorites — a fundamentally different position from the relative underdog status he carried into Toronto. Managing that expectation is part of the challenge.
For a full preview of the upcoming event, see the 2026 Candidates Tournament preview, which covers the full field, contenders, and key matchups to watch in Paphos.
The chess world will be watching. Use the Shatranj Live Candidates tracker to follow every game live, with real-time analysis and standings throughout the tournament.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Praggnanandhaa finish at the 2024 Candidates Tournament? Praggnanandhaa finished joint second at the 2024 Candidates Tournament in Toronto, scoring 8.5 points out of 14. He shared second place with Hikaru Nakamura, one point behind winner Gukesh Dommaraju who scored 9/14.
How old was Pragg at the 2024 Candidates? Praggnanandhaa was 18 years old during the 2024 Candidates Tournament, held in April 2024 in Toronto. His joint second-place finish is one of the strongest Candidates debuts by a teenager in the event’s history.
What is Praggnanandhaa’s FIDE rating? Praggnanandhaa’s FIDE rating reached a career high of 2763 in early 2025. His live rating and full game history are available at ratings.fide.com.
Did Praggnanandhaa qualify for the 2026 Candidates? Yes. Praggnanandhaa has qualified for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, which will be held in Paphos, Cyprus from March 29 to April 15, 2026.
Where can I follow Praggnanandhaa’s games at the 2026 Candidates? You can follow all of Pragg’s games live at the Shatranj Live Candidates tracker, which provides real-time game updates, standings, and analysis. His full player profile is also available at Shatranj Live.
Follow Pragg at the 2026 Candidates
The 2026 Candidates Tournament in Paphos is one of the most anticipated in years, and Praggnanandhaa will be at the center of it. Head to shatranj.live/candidates for live game coverage, standings, and analysis from the moment the first pawn advances in Cyprus.
Sources: FIDE official results, chess-results.com, The Week in Chess, Chess.com tournament coverage, Chessbase news archive.
