Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa’s next chapter has begun with Team Liquid, a major force in the online chess circuit. As reported by Firstpost, the 19-year-old from Chennai has joined the global eSports powerhouse ahead of the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which runs from July 7 to August 24.
This move places Praggnanandhaa alongside Norwegian World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, a five-time world champion, and American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, both of whom were added to Team Liquid’s roster earlier this year.
The team announced Praggnanandhaa’s arrival on June 28 through a message on X (formerly Twitter) that honoured chess’s Indian roots and celebrated the young prodigy’s role in shaping its future: “Praggnanandhaa R. carries that legacy forward — and today, he joins ours.”
Carlsen extended a playful welcome by reposting the announcement, quipping, “Whole lot of letters in Praggnanandhaa, but no «I». Welcome to the team.” Meanwhile, Hikaru Nakamura, the current World No. 2 and member of Team Falcons, described Praggnanandhaa as “a rare gem in the chess world,” echoing sentiments shared across the global chess community.
With this signing, Team Liquid cements its position as one of the strongest line-ups in online chess. Praggnanandhaa will look to clinch a berth in the Esports World Cup through the Last Chance Qualifiers, where only four slots are still up for grabs. The competition remains stiff, with top-tier players like Ding Liren, Wesley So, Anish Giri, and Daniil Dubov also in the hunt, as noted by Firstpost.
So far, India’s Arjun Erigaisi is the only Indian player confirmed for the main event, representing Generation Gaming. Other Indian Grandmasters such as Nihal Sarin and Aravindh Chithambaram, part of S8UL, are vying for qualification. Praggnanandhaa enters this next phase fresh off his third tournament victory of the year at the UzChess Cup Masters 2025 in Tashkent.
