I was just enjoying myself, says teen GM Praggnanandhaa after stunning World No. 1 Carlsen in Airthings Masters

R Praggnanandhaa stunned world no. 1 Magnus Carlsen in the eighth round of the Airthings Masters online rapid chess tournament, becoming only the third from the country to clinch a victory over the Norwegian superstar. The 16-year old prodigy was hailed by many on the social media, including cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and All-India Chess Federation president Sanjay Kapoor, after he followed five-time former world champion Viswanathan Anand and P Harikrishna in getting the better of Carlsen, the 31-year-old who is also the reigning world champion.

Praggnanandhaa won with black pieces in 39 moves in a Tarrasch variation game early on Monday to halt Carlsen's run of three straight wins. "I am delighted to have beaten Carlsen. It will give me a lot of confidence for the rest of the tournament and future also," he told PTI over phone.

For someone, who brought down the best chess player on the planet, Praggnanandhaa was not celebrating big just yet and said he wanted to stay focussed on the rest of the tournament. "I have to focus on the upcoming matches. After the match I just wanted to rest," he said with a smile.

The teenaged GM also said there was no specific plan for the match against the Norwegian. "No special plan or preparation for the Carlsen match. I just wanted to enjoy playing against him and not put too much pressure on myself (of taking on the world champion)," Praggu, as he is affectionately called by friends and coach R B Ramesh, said.

His coach, meanwhile, said he was overjoyed with his ward's triumph over the best player in the world. "It is a great feeling. I am very proud of his achievement.