R Praggnanandhaa: Not Just A Wonderkid, But A Great In The Making

24.08.2023 - 09:03 sports.ndtv.com

For someone, who took to chess just because his parents wanted him and his sister to wean away from watching television, R Praggnanandhaa has charted his own path to glory and is closer to greatness than ever.

The 18-year old wonderboy has long been seen as a possible successor to the five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand and is certainly on the path to be a chess great.

A stunning performance in the FIDE World Cup in Baku has catapulted him to the Candidates tournament to determine the challenger to current world champion Ding Liren.

By becoming the only Indian player after Anand to book a spot in the Candidates, the Chennai teenager has proved that he will be the name to reckon with when it comes to big-ticket chess events.

chess show UPS performer classical R Praggnanandhaa wonderkid Magnus Carlsen Viswanathan Anand India

A true chess prodigy and a legend in the making, India's R Praggnaandhaa became a household name in entire country as he qualified for the FIDE Chess World Cup, taking on the numero uno Magnus Carlsen. Throughout the tournament, it wasn't just the 18-year-old Grandmaster who became a talking point on social media, but also his mother who accompanied him to the event in Baku, Azerbaijan. In fact, a few photos of Pragnnanandhanaa's mother went viral on social media. One of the pictures, thanks to its caption, has already garnered 3.9 million views on Twiter (now X).

As Praggnanandhaa And Gukesh Shine, Is India The New Talent-Churning Machine In Chess?

For a long time, Viswanathan Anand was the lone flag-bearer of Indian chess, taking the world by storm with his exploits. Things have changed in the last decade or so, with numerous talented players emerging on the Indian chess scene, making the country a formidable force in the world. With the country producing Grandmasters almost on demand, Anand went so far as to say that the current lot happens to be the golden generation in Indian chess. Four Indian players -- R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, D Gukesh and Vidit Santosh Gujrathi -- reached the quarterfinal of the FIDE World Cup at Baku in a first for the country in a sport dominated for long by erstwhile Soviet Union and later Russia at various points.

As Praggnanandhaa And Gukesh Shine, Is India The New Talent-Churning Machine In Chess?

"I Was So Engrossed In...": R Praggnanandhaa's Mother Reacts To Viral Picture

Teen chess sensation R Praggnanandhaa's mother, R Nagalakshmi said on Friday she was elated to see her son seal a berth in the Candidates Tournament, adding the 18-year-old has a "long way to go" in the sport. The Candidates is the final contest to determine the challenger who will take on the incumbent world champion. Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa's dream run in the FIDE World Cup at Baku was ended on Thursday by world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, who beat him 1.5-0.5 in the tie-break after the classical games ended in a stalemate. Praggnanandhaa became only the second player from the country after Viswanathan Anand -- and the youngest -- to play in the FIDE World Cup final.

"People Will Start To Notice Indian Chess": R Praggnanandhaa

Humble to the core, teen sensation R Praggnanandhaa was far from realising the enormity of his achievement in the FIDE World Cup but reckoned his incredible run could force people to "start noticing" Indian chess. It needed the sheer brilliance of Magnus Carlsen to stop the 18-year-old Praggnanandhaa's march as he finished second best after losing in the final on Thursday. "I feel very good to be in the finals, today I didn't win, but it's normal in chess," Praggnanandhaa told PTI from Baku hours after he finished runner-up.

"People Will Start To Notice Indian Chess": R Praggnanandhaa