Praveen Balakrishnan

Praveen started playing chess when he was 5 years old after being introduced to the game by a neighbor. At the age of 10, he crossed 2200 and became a National Master. Praveen represented the US in World Youth Championships in Greece, Slovenia, and South Africa. At the age of 14, he received his International Master title, and he went on to win the Denker title twice. In 2019, Praveen won the Gold Medal in the North American Junior Championship and tied for first in US Masters, with both of these performances earning him a GM norm. Having a FIDE rating over 2500 and being on the brink of the Grandmaster title, Praveen was recently chosen as a 2021 Samford Fellow. Outside of chess, Praveen is a student at the University of Chicago studying computer science and economics.