India's Pranav Venkatesh Crushes Alan Pichot To Win Fujairah Global Superstars

Last Updated:September 02, 2025, 13:06 IST

Pranav Venkatesh pocketed USD 23000 for his outstanding performance and gained an impressive 28 points added to his current ELO rating.

Pranav Venkatesh was undefeated throughout the nine-round competition. (Picture Credit: IG/pranavchess)

World Junior Champion Pranav Venkatesh achieved a resounding victory over Grandmaster Alan Pichot of Spain to secure the title at the Fujairah Global Superstars chess tournament.

Pranav accumulated seven points out of a possible nine, finishing a full point ahead of closest competitors Brandon Jacobson from the United States, Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara from Mexico, and Amin Tabatabai from Iran, who all tied for second place with six points each.

Grandmasters Aditya Mittal and top-seeded Nihal Sareen shared the fifth spot with 5.5 points each in the tournament, which concluded on Monday. Aditya secured sixth place overall, while Nihal, who began with a first-round loss to Pranav, finished in 12th place.

Pranav remained undefeated throughout the nine-round competition, achieving five wins and four draws.

The Indian champion earned USD 23000 for his outstanding performance and gained an impressive 28 points added to his current ELO rating.

Despite being only 18 years old, Pranav demonstrated the maturity of a 2843-rated Grandmaster.

Pranav will next compete in the Grand Swiss in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the strongest Swiss tournament featuring some of the best players in the world.

The participant list includes World champion D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, P Harikrishna, and other talented Indian players, alongside strong international competitors such as local hero Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Anish Giri, and Ian Nepomniachtchi from Russia.

Top standings: 1. Pranav Venkatesh (Ind, 7); 2-4. Brandon Jacobson (Usa); Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara (Mex); Amin Tabatabai (Iri) 6 each; 5-12. Jiner Zhn (Chn); Aditya Mittal (Ind); Alexander Donchenko (Ger); Sanan Sjugirov (Hun); Abhimanyu Mishra (Usa); Shanglei Lu (Chn); Aydin Suleymanli (Aze); Nihal Sareen (Ind) 5.5 each

With PTI Inputs

Feroz Khan

Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital...Read More

Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital...

Read More

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First Published:

September 02, 2025, 13:06 IST

News sports India's Pranav Venkatesh Crushes Alan Pichot To Win Fujairah Global Superstars

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