Exclusive | RCB fan who became a world champion: The story of chess prodigy Pranav V | Chess News

Pranav V (Photo Credits: X)

NEW DELHI: “Mera ground hai yeh (This is my ground)” — that was all Bengaluru-born cricketer KL Rahul may say, thumping his chest a couple of occasions after an unbeaten 53-ball 93 that single-handedly turned the tide for Delhi Capitals on Thursday evening.
With the Capitals reeling at 30 for 3, many had written them off, pondering Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) had the match within the bag.
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But Rahul mentioned no — a lot to the despair of a Chinnaswamy crowd and a passionate fan watching not distant at his residence in Chennai, who had celebrated his one-month anniversary because the World Junior Chess Champion simply final Tuesday.
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It’s a ache RCB followers know too nicely — and Pranav Venkatesh isn’t any exception.
“I actually hope they win the IPL this 12 months,” the 18-year-old tells TimesofIndia.com wistfully, nonetheless ready for his group to elevate their maiden title after 17 seasons.
And no, it’s not nearly Virat Kohli for him.
“Of course, Virat is there,” he smiles. “But I like the whole team.”
Cricket and Pranav go method again.
As his coach GM Shyam Sundar M beforehand shared, it was cricket that introduced the 2 collectively.
From bottle caps to sponge smiley balls, they’ve all the time tried to maintain their cricket video games as quiet as doable throughout lengthy lodge stays between tournaments.
The 2025 FIDE World Junior Chess Championship was the primary FIDE occasion held in Montenegro, and Pranav made it his personal.
But the teenager is much from achieved, as he now goals even greater: the World Chess Championship title.
That dream started at six or possibly six and a half.
During a go to to a relative’s residence, Pranav’s father, Venkatesh, was invited for a couple of pleasant video games.

Standing beside his father, what caught little Pranav’s eye weren’t the strikes, however the items.
“They looked like animals, like the king was a lion, the rook an elephant. Not the usual chess pieces. That’s what drew me in,” he remembers.
When he received again residence, he requested Venkatesh for a board with those self same quirky items.
But that wasn’t to be.
“We couldn’t find those exact ones, so we got a regular chess set. My dad taught me the rules, and that’s how it all started,” Pranav says with a snicker.
Chess and books go hand in hand. For Pranav, it’s been about stability — studying from each books and the huge assets obtainable on-line.
“There’s so much available online now — from openings to endgame theory. But books still help a lot. I try to balance both,” he says.
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Growing up, Pranav’s younger shoulders have been patted by two legends: Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand.
“Magnus has this ability to grind down opponents from equal positions. I really admire that,” provides Pranav. “And with Vishy sir, I love how attacking his games are.”
Before his finest on the World Junior Championships, Pranav had already made his mark, profitable the Chennai Challenges, Sharjah Masters, and Dubai Police Championship in 2024.
Still, the World Championship got here with its personal strain.
“I was nervous in the first round. I had a good position but gave away chances,” he admits. “But once I settled, I found my rhythm. After the sixth or seventh round, I was leading. It again made me a bit nervous because that’s when it hit me that this could be my first World title.”
A Class 12 pupil at Velammal Vidyalaya, Chennai, Pranav skipped his board exams this 12 months for the championship and is predicted to take them subsequent 12 months.

With a month-long break behind him, he’s able to return to the chessboard — with a couple of tournaments in Spain, adopted by the Asian Individual Championship in Dubai from May 6 to 16.
Apart from unwinding with hotel-room cricket between video games, Pranav additionally makes time for normal walks to remain bodily match.
From right here on, he’s targeted on getting stronger — each on the board and off it — as he doesn’t see chess as simply a interest: “It’s professional because I want to achieve more. I want to become the world champion.”