Who is Raunak Sadhwani? Indian grandmaster who stunned Alireza Firouzja at World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship

The FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship kicked off on Wall Street in New York with some surprising moments and exciting matches. The day saw big results, including defeats and draws for top players like Magnus Carlsen, but also impressive performances from underdogs.

The biggest surprise of the day came in the second round when Raunak Sadhwani defeated Alireza Firouzja, one of the top players in rapid chess. Sadhwani, with a rating of 2591, played with the black pieces and won in 44 moves against Firouzja, who had a rating of 2756. 

This was a significant result, as Firouzja had been considered a strong contender in the rapid format. Sadhwani later went on to win his next game against China's Shanglei Lu. After five rounds, he is ranked fifth with four points.

Who is Raunak Sadhwani?

Raunak Sadhwani was born on 22 December, 2005. He is an Indian chess prodigy, who became a grandmaster at the age of 13. 

He was also the U-10 Commonwealth Champion in 2015 in New Delhi.

Sadhwani was part of the second team from India that reached third place in the open tournament at the 44th Chess Olympiad held in 2022.

Another exciting result came from India’s 75th grandmaster, Pranav Venkatesh. In the first round, he held Wesley So, who is ranked 12th in the world in rapid chess, to a draw. Pranav, rated 2497, managed to hold off the higher-rated So (2739), showing great skill in a tight match.

Meanwhile, Arjun Erigaisi, who is in a race with Fabiano Caruana for a spot in the Candidates Tournament, stayed ahead of his rival after Day 1. Arjun, who arrived in New York at the last minute due to passport issues, won four games and drew one, finishing the day with four points in 12th place. Caruana, with four points as well, is ranked 23rd, half a point behind Arjun.

As the championship continues, there’s plenty of action to look forward to with more surprises and thrilling matches expected.