NEW DELHI: Chennai Grand Masters is an elite-level annual closed tournament held every year in what is widely considered the chess capital of India. Divided into two sections, Masters and Challengers, players from different countries are invited to compete under one roof.Created in 2023, the tournament was announced only four days before its start, leading to criticism that the tournament was arranged at the last minute to help Dommaraju Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi qualify for the 2024 Candidates Tournament. However, FIDE deputy president Viswanathan Anand explained that the organisation of the tournament was within the rules.2025 saw its third edition. R Vaishali, the nation’s toast at the moment, was invited to compete in the Challengers section, which includes relatively lower-rated players than the Masters field. Winning the Challengers means qualifying for the next edition’s Masters. Vaishali had a nightmarish tournament, finishing rock bottom, but that’s a story for another day. The winner of the Challengers section was Munirethinam Pranesh, a baby-faced assassin on the board.
The name, Pranesh, has once again resurfaced as he played a key part in Vaishali’s Candidates win in Cyprus, helping her earn the right to challenge China’s Ju Wenjun for the World Championship.
The ‘funny person’ in Vaishali’s camp
“It was basically Ramesh sir and Aarthie aunty’s (WGM Aarthie Ramaswamy and RB Ramesh’s wife) idea to take Pranesh to Candidates because he is a very nice and funny person to be around,” Vaishali told ChessBase India after her historic win on Wednesday.In the tense environment of a Candidates tournament, where dreams are made or broken over 14-round grinds, the psychological weight can be debilitating.
Vaishali’s mother Nagalakshmi, Pranesh M, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, and Vaibhav Suri (Photo by Michal Walusza)
“The idea was I might get tense because there are a lot of tense moments, and he will keep it light. That was the plan. And it exactly happened the same,” Vaishali revealed. “There were a lot of high-pressure moments and a lot of tough games. Even after tough games, whenever I got to his room, he was like ‘It was ok akka,’ that was his thing.”Besides his role of supporting her mentally, Vaishali also revealed that they together prepared a few openings, suggesting that Pranesh, a tactical wizard in his own right, was as much a sparring partner as he was a confidant. “He has been super supportive throughout the tournament, and we have played a lot of table tennis and padel,” she added.
From Karaikudi to Cyprus
The journey of the 19-year-old Grandmaster sometimes comes across as a good old work of fiction. Karaikudi is a small town in Tamil Nadu, and it is the birthplace of Pranesh. With his mother working at an anganwadi, caring for underprivileged children, and his father being an accountant at a textile store, Pranesh never allowed limited resources to become an excuse.When he became an International Master (IM) in 2020, his coach, RB Ramesh, wrote on social media: “Till he (Pranesh) became an IM, he didn’t have access to a laptop for his chess preparation. Believe in yourself, and fate will lift you up.”In an era where elite chess is dominated by engine preparation, Pranesh’s rise was analog. He is, however, too shy to call them limitations.
I just learned from whatever I could find
Indian Grandmaster Pranesh M
“I didn’t worry about what I didn’t have,” Pranesh had told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interaction after his Chennai Grand Masters Challengers title. “I just thought about what I have: my coach, my parents, my books. Even earlier generations didn’t have laptops, but they still became grandmasters.”With no digital resources, the boy from Karaikudi taught himself from borrowed books, handwritten notes, and old chess magazines.“I just learned from whatever I could find,” he recalled with utmost simplicity.
His bond with RB Ramesh
“When I was five, I was just running around making noise,” he recalled. “So my parents brought home chess and carrom. My brother played first, and I picked it up after him.”By 11, he, already a known face in the national championships, joined Chess Gurukul, the academy run by Chennai’s renowned coach RB Ramesh.Ramesh, who has mentored the likes of R Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali, saw the spark in Pranesh early on. In 2023, he became India’s 79th Grandmaster.Their bond between the master and the student is aptly represented by a picture of Ramesh attempting to lift Pranesh in celebration after his Chennai Grandmasters Challenger win surfaced online.“He tried so hard to lift me,” laughed Pranesh. “I’m so much heavier now, so it must’ve been difficult for him.”
The unsung hero
Currently in his third year of B.Sc. Computer Science at SRM University, Pranesh balances his studies with the rigour of professional chess.But his role in Cyprus was different. He wasn’t playing for his own rating or a trophy. He was there to ensure that Vaishali didn’t buckle under the weight of history.READ ALSO: Explained: How India’s R Vaishali caged Lagno’s ‘dragon’ to claim historic Women’s Candidates 2026 titleWhile the world watches Vaishali prepare for her World Championship match against Ju Wenjun, the story of her success cannot be told without mentioning the teenager from Karaikudi.Pranesh M, the boy who once studied chess without a laptop, has now helped pilot India to its first-ever Women’s Candidates victory.
