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Praggnanandhaa Leads London Chess Classic 2025 After Round 6, Set for Key Clash With Velimir Ivic
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa continued his impressive form at the London Chess Classic Open 2025, emerging as a joint leader after six rounds. With 5/6 points, he now shares the top spot with Serbian GM Velimir Ivic, whom he will face in a crucial Round 7 encounter.
Praggnanandhaa began Day 3 with a swift 21-move draw against Hungary’s GM Tamas Fodor Jr., before bouncing back to defeat Israel’s IM Eytan Rozen. The victory helped him reclaim his position at the top of the leaderboard as the tournament enters its decisive phase.
Despite shedding a few rating points, the 19-year-old maintained his World No. 7 position in the December 2025 FIDE ratings.
Meanwhile, fellow Indian star Arjun Erigaisi climbed back to World No. 5, thanks to a strong run at the FIDE World Cup 2025, earning 6.4 Elo points. World Champion D Gukesh, however, slipped to World No. 10 after a third-round exit.
In the top 30, India currently has five representatives. Veteran GM Pentala Harikrishna added 3 Elo points following a career-best World Cup performance, while Pranav Venkatesh maintained his rating after a consistent outing.
Indian Women in FIDE Top 20
Four Indian women remain inside the World Top 20:
GM Humpy Koneru jumped to World No. 5, despite not playing any rated games in November.
GM Divya Deshmukh slipped to World No. 12.
IM Padmini Rout and IM Savitha Shri B were the only Indian women among the top ten to gain rating points.
The month as a whole proved testing for India’s top players. Arjun’s World Cup campaign ended in the quarterfinal tiebreaks against China’s Wei Yi, while Harikrishna’s run stopped at GM Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara, who enjoyed a breakout tournament.
With several rounds left at the London Classic Open, all eyes now turn to the high-stakes clash between Praggnanandhaa and Ivic as the title race heats up.
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Published: Dec 01, 2025
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