Pranav Venkatesh clinches the FIDE World U-18 Youth Rapid and Blitz Chess titles.

Sports

Indian Grandmaster Pranav Venkatesh won two gold medals on December 17, 2024, at the FIDE (International Chess Federation) World Youth Under-18 (U-18) Open Rapid and Blitz events. The tournament took place at the Terme Catez Hotel in Brezice, Slovenia, from December 13 to 17, 2024.


      - In the Rapid category, Pranav scored 9.5 points, securing the gold medal. Russia's Alexander Khripachenko earned the silver with 9 points, and Ukraine's Roman Pyrih took the bronze with 7.5 points.

      - In the Blitz category, Pranav finished at the top with 19.5 points, winning another gold. Russia's Dmitry Mochalov won the silver with 15.5 points, while Khripachenko (Russia) claimed the bronze with 14.5 points.

      - Pranav became a Grandmaster in 2022 after achieving his third GM norm at the Limpedea Cup 2022. He is the 75th Grandmaster in the history of India.

Main Point :-   (i) Pranav was the only Grandmaster (GM) participating in the entire event, which had six categories across both Rapid and Blitz formats.

      (ii) International Master (IM) Eline Roebers from the Netherlands was the only female player in the open events. She was also one of only two players to defeat Pranav in the Blitz format.

(iii) The FIDE World U-18 Youth Rapid & Blitz Chess tournament, organized by FIDE (International Chess Federation) and the Slovenian Chess Federation, featured 340 players from 35 countries competing in U14, U16, and U18 categories across both open and girls' sections.

          ____________________________