The Indian chess prodigy, D Gukesh, has surpassed five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand to become the new India number one in the live world rankings.
Gukesh defeated Azerbaijan’s Misratdin Iskandarov in the second game of round two (2.2) on Thursday at the FIDE World Cup Baku in Azerbaijan to achieve this feat.
Gukesh gained 2.5 rating points for his victory and surpassed Anand (2754.0) to become the world number nine with 2755.9 rating points.
What is live rankings?
The live world rankings are based on live ratings, which are daily updates of a player’s chess rating that are updated immediately after the match.
The sport’s governing body (FIDE) updates the official ratings monthly, providing the official world ranking by the first calendar date of each new month.
Norway’s Magnus Carlsen currently holds the world number one ranking with a live rating of 2838.4, while Fabiano Caruana of the United States is second with 2786.4.
Hikaru Nakamura is third, with current world champion Ding Liren and challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi rounding out the top five.
When was the last time Anand was not the India No. 1?
Anand has remained India’s top-ranked player in all published lists since January 1987.
Should Gukesh stay ahead of Anand till the release of the next ranking list on 1st September, the 17-year-old will become the first Indian to figure ahead of Anand in the World rankings since Pravin Thipsay in July 1986. At that time, Thipsay was rated 2485 to Anand’s 2420.
In fact, this is the second time, in live ratings, that Anand is seen behind a compatriot. On March 16, 2016, Anand temporarily trailed P. Harikrishna.
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