Raunak Sadhwani
GM
Player Details
Raunak Sadhwani is an Indian chess grandmaster and one of the strongest players from India’s younger generation below the very top super-grandmaster tier. Born in Nagpur, he became a grandmaster in 2019 at 13, making him one of the youngest grandmasters in chess history and India’s 65th grandmaster. Since then, his rise has been steady and substantial: he won the World Junior Rapid Championship in 2023, shared first at the 2024 London Chess Classic Masters, reached a peak classical rating of 2681 and world No. 44 in July 2025, and remained a regular participant in major FIDE events such as the World Cup and Grand Swiss. Sadhwani’s profile is that of a modern, highly prepared professional whose best years are still likely ahead of him.
Playing Style
Sadhwani’s style is practical, composed, and increasingly mature. He is clearly well prepared, but his results also show strong in-game judgment rather than only opening memory. He does not need constant tactical chaos to score; many of his best performances come from maintaining pressure, keeping positions playable, and gradually outplaying opponents over a full event. That combination is a strong sign for long-term growth in classical chess.
Best Games
- 2019vs Alexander MotylevFIDE Grand SwissSadhwani’s win over Motylev came in the tournament where he secured his final GM norm and became India’s 65th grandmaster. It remains the defining game of his early breakthrough.
- 2023vs Tobias KoelleWorld Junior Rapid ChampionshipHis crucial win over Koelle came at the exact moment the title race tightened. That victory helped Sadhwani clinch the World Junior Rapid crown outright.
- 2024vs Ilya SmirinLondon Chess Classic MastersSadhwani beat Smirin in round one and later drew him in the final round to finish on 7/9 and share first place. It was one of his most convincing recent classical performances in an international open.
Opening Repertoire
Sadhwani’s repertoire already looks broad and professional. As White he often begins with queen’s pawn systems, while with Black he has shown repeated use of Modern/Robatsch structures and other flexible setups that allow him to play for counterplay rather than pure symmetry.
- Queen’s Pawn Game1.d4 with flexible development
- Related queen’s pawn structures that can transpose into broader closed openings
- Robatsch / Modern Defence1.e4 g6
- Flexible Queen’s Pawn responses1.d4 systems with non-committal development
Career Highlights
- Grandmaster title2019. India’s 65th Grandmaster. One of the youngest grandmasters in chess history.
- India B team bronze medal, Chess Olympiad2022.
- World Junior Rapid Champion2023.
- London Chess Classic Masters co-winner2024.
- Peak world rankingNo. 44.
- Peak FIDE classical rating2681.
Career Highlights
- Grandmaster title2019. India’s 65th Grandmaster. One of the youngest grandmasters in chess history.
- India B team bronze medal, Chess Olympiad2022.
- World Junior Rapid Champion2023.
- London Chess Classic Masters co-winner2024.
- Peak world rankingNo. 44.
- Peak FIDE classical rating2681.