Praggnanandhaa’s Meteoric Rise on World’s Chess Map

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa did not win the Chess World Cup last week. But he won millions of hearts in India.

The 18-year old played the final against world's top-ranked Magnus Carlsen in Baku, capital of Azerbaijan. Interestingly, he had defeated Carlsen in the Airthings Master Tournament in 2022.

Pragg's, as he is popularly known, joruney is nothing short of exceptional, as he had made his way to the World Cup Final by defeating the world's second and third rank players.

It was only the chess legend Vishwanathan Anand from India who had won the title back in 2002. Indians are performing extraordinarily well in chess.

Cur rently, 21 players from India figure among the top 100 junior players who hold top positions around the world. And they are all aged less than 20.

During the recent World Cup, four Indian players advanced to the quarterfinals. Pragg became an international master at the age of 10, the youngest at the time to do so and a grandmaster at the age of 22.

Pragg won the World Youth Chess Championship Under-8 title in 2013. It earned him the title of FIDE Master. He went on to win the Under-10 title in 2015.

Pragg was born in Chennai on August 10, 2005. His father Rameshbabu works with a bank while mother Nagalakshmi is a housewife. Curiously, his sister Vaishali is a Woman Grandmaster.

Her mother often accompanies him in national and international competitions. Though initially both parents discouraged Pragg's pursuit of chess, sister Vaishali became the chief motivating force.

Till 2016, his parents were running in debt, having taken loans to fund his trips to various contests. But now that several laurels have come his way, debts have all been cleared.

With his meteoric rise, Praggnanandhaa has set an example for youth as to how hard work and steadfastness can bring success.