Mumbai, Aug 2026 : India’s 19-year-old Grandmaster Pranesh M emerged victorious at the prestigious Kanizsa Open 2026 in Nagykanizsa, Hungary, winning the Group A title after an impressive nine-round campaign.
Pranesh, rated 2673 and ranked 44th in the August 2026 FIDE rankings, sealed the championship with a victory over Germany’s Vadim Petrovskiy in the ninth and final round. Playing with the white pieces, the Indian Grandmaster secured the crucial win to finish the tournament with seven points.
The Karaikudi-born chess player shared the top score with three other competitors — Israel’s Or Bronstein, Ukraine’s Andrei Volokitin and fellow Indian Karthik Venkataraman. However, Pranesh secured the overall title on the strength of the tiebreak criteria, with Bronstein finishing second, Volokitin third and Venkataraman fourth.
Karthik had an opportunity to claim the title outright but was held to a draw by Volokitin in the final round. The result left both players on seven points. Bronstein also moved into the group of leaders after defeating fellow Israeli International Master Benny Aizenberg in the final round.
Pranesh’s victory was warmly welcomed by the Indian Embassy in Hungary, which congratulated the young Grandmaster on his performance.
“Meet the new Indian Chess Champion!! Pranesh M,” the embassy said in a post on its official social media handle.
“Huge Congratulations to Indian Grandmaster Pranesh M on his brilliant victory at the prestigious Kanizsa Open 2026 in Nagykanizsa, Hungary!” it added.
The embassy further praised the Indian player for finishing at the top of one of Central Europe’s competitive open tournaments, saying it was proud to see Indian chess talent making its mark on the international stage.
The result adds to India’s growing presence in international chess and further highlights the country’s strong pipeline of young players competing successfully at elite-level tournaments.
Several other Indian players also produced notable performances in the Group A section, which featured a field of 226 competitors.
Neelash Saha was the next-best Indian finisher, securing 10th place with 6.5 points after being part of a large group of players tied on the same score.
Nitish Belurkar finished 20th with six points, while Ajay Santhosh Parvathareddy took 21st place, also scoring six points. Bhattacharyya Soham finished 23rd with six points.
Pranesh’s triumph in Hungary marks another important achievement in his rapidly developing career. At just 19, the Grandmaster has already established himself among India’s promising young chess talents, and his latest international title further strengthens his reputation on the global circuit.
