India Has 105 Under-20 Chess Players Rated 2300 or Higher

India has 105 active chess players aged 20 or under rated 2300 or higher on the October 2026 FIDE standard rating list, an increase from 75 a year earlier. The figure underlines the depth developing beneath the country’s established elite, with several teenage players making major rating gains or crossing significant milestones.

The latest list also shows India’s strength at the top. R Praggnanandhaa remains the country’s No. 1 player on 2763 after gaining two points. Arjun Erigaisi is second on 2746 despite dropping 13 points, while Viswanathan Anand is third on 2739. India’s top-10 average stands at 2703.6, placing the federation No. 2 worldwide.

Teenagers add depth to India’s rating list

The most notable junior rise came from 14-year-old Sanjay Narayanan P S, who gained 230 rating points to reach 2356. Fellow 14-year-olds Shaurya Chaudhary and Aarav Saish Amonkar both crossed the 2400 mark for the first time.

Pratitee Bordoloi, 13, is also among the leading names in the emerging group. Rated 2393, she holds the highest rating of any Indian girl in the year she turned 13, according to FIDE records dating back to 2001. Her rating is one of the clearest indications of the increasingly young age at which Indian players are reaching high-level standard ratings.

Those individual gains form part of a broader expansion in the national player base. India has 19,882 active rated players, up by 189 from September, while 583 players received their first FIDE standard rating during the month. The October list also brought 30 new titles: eight FIDE Masters, 13 Candidate Masters, one Woman International Master, three Woman FIDE Masters and five Woman Candidate Masters.

At senior level, Gukesh D made the biggest move among India’s top five. His 8.5 points from 11 games at the Chess Olympiad earned him seven rating points and took him to 2710, moving him one point ahead of Nihal Sarin, who is on 2709. Vidit Gujrathi is next on 2693, followed by Aravindh Chithambaram and V Pranav on 2677, Pranesh M on 2674 and Pentala Harikrishna on 2648.

Established leaders remain in front

India’s women’s list continues to be led by Koneru Humpy, who added nine points to reach 2518. Divya Deshmukh is second on 2488, with Harika Dronavalli on 2453, Vaishali Rameshbabu on 2452 and Deekshitha Modipalli on 2436. Savitha Shri was a standout mover after scoring 9/10 at the women’s Olympiad, gaining 23 points and rising from ninth to sixth.

The October ratings place the current growth in a longer historical context. Only four players have led India’s overall ranking list since 2001, with Anand holding the top spot for a combined 23 years and one month. Humpy has led the women’s list since September 2022 and has held that position for a total of 23 years and six months, the longest reign among the three women to have been India No. 1.

For Indian chess, the significance of the latest list is not limited to its leading names. The rise from 75 to 105 under-20 players rated 2300 or above in one year points to a larger and stronger group moving toward the country’s established top tier.