September has proven to be an important month for Indian chess, with some young talents that make great progress on the global stage. Arjun Erigaisi continued his climb, moving to the number four world after cutting Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, which sneaked 14 points at the Swiss Grand. Erigaisi’s consistent performance strengthened India’s growing depth in elite chess. Nihal Sarin officially joined the Club 2700, reaching exactly 2700, while Praggnanandhaa’s fellow countryman Vaishali Rameshbabu, recovered from a 24-point loss in August with 21 points, won the female Swiss Grand and earned a place in the female candidate for the second consecutive year. Divya Deshmukh was also impressed, approaching 2500 after competing in the open Swiss Grand and defeating Grandmasters. Among the juniors, Pranav Venkatesh became a headline with 45 rating points, which was moved by victory in the Swiss and Fujairah Global Superstars, while American Grandmaster Abhimanyu Mishra maintained a 67 -game snippet, earning 41 points and entering the Top 100 world. The 11 -year -old Faustino Oro matched PRANAV’s profits, entered the top 50 after mastering the Legends & Prodigies event in Madrid. Ashwath Kaushik, 10, added 81 points to reach 2345, becoming the fourth 2300+ player ever. The show highlighted India’s emergence as a great power in both senior and junior chess. Although veterans such as Gukesh Dommaraju face challenges, the younger generation, including Sarin, Erigaisi, Pranav, and Faustino, quickly cover the gap with global elite. With a variety of players who are currently competitive at 2600+, and women like Vaishali and Divya break down new lands internationally, the future of Indian chess looks brighter than ever. The September rating update reflects not only the excellence of the individual but also the growing ecosystem that supports chess talent nationwide, from Prodigies almost not in two digits to the growing stars for the world stage.
