Mumbai, August 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India’s 19-year-old Grandmaster Pranesh M emerged champion at the Kanizsa Open 2026 in Nagykanizsa, Hungary, winning the Group A title after a strong performance in the nine-round tournament.
Pranesh sealed the title by defeating Germany’s Vadim Petrovskiy with the white pieces in the ninth and final round on Sunday. Rated 2673 and ranked 44th in the August 2026 FIDE rankings, the Tamil Nadu player finished with seven points.
Four players ended the tournament on seven points, with Pranesh claiming the title on tiebreak. Israel’s Or Bronstein, Ukraine’s Andrei Volokitin and India’s Karthik Venkataraman finished second, third and fourth respectively.
Venkataraman had a chance to win the title outright but was held to a draw by Volokitin in the final round. Bronstein joined the leaders after defeating compatriot IM Benny Aizenberg.
The Indian Embassy in Hungary congratulated Pranesh on his victory, describing it as a notable achievement for Indian chess on the international stage.
“Meet the new Indian Chess Champion!! Pranesh M,” the embassy said in a post, congratulating the Grandmaster on his victory at one of Central Europe’s competitive open tournaments.
Pranesh, who hails from Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu, was among a strong Indian contingent in the 226-player Group A field.
Neelash Saha was the next-best Indian finisher, securing 10th place with 6.5 points. Nitish Belurkar finished 20th, Ajay Santhosh Parvathareddy 21st and Bhattacharyya Soham 23rd, with all three scoring six points.
The victory adds another significant achievement to Pranesh’s growing international career and further underlines India’s expanding presence in elite chess.
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