Who is R Praggnanandhaa, the 18-year-old Indian chess prodigy?
From getting inspired by his sister to playing Chess World Cup final for the first time, here is the journey of R Praggnanandhaa, the 18-year-old Indian chess prodigy
NewsBharati 22-Aug-2023 17:15:00 PM
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India is becoming a hub of rising chess players and the one who is currently hitting headlines across the world is 18-year-old Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa. As reported earlier, the Indian prodigy on Monday defeated world number three Fabiano Caruana in the tiebreaks to reach the final of the ongoing FIDE World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, where he will meet world number one, Magnus Carlsen.
With this remarkable victory, Praggnanandhaa also became the first Indian to reach the finals of the Chess World Cup in over two decades. Viswanathan Anand, one of the most popular names in the Indian chess community, had won the first two World Cups back in 2000 and 2002.
Born on August 10, 2005, in Tamil Nadu's capital city Chennai, Praggnanandhaa commenced his chess journey at the tender age of 5. But how did it start?
He picked up chess as a hobby acquired from his sister, Vaishali Rameshbabu. This came as their parents - polio-afflicted bank employee father Rameshbabu and mother Nagalakshmi - were worried that Vaishali was spending too much time in front of the TV.
The motive behind introducing her to chess was to keep her away from her favourite cartoon shows. But who would have thought that it would end up inspiring a wizard of the sport at home as Praggnanandhaa's interest in Vaishali's new hobby became his life's calling!
Also Read: NB In Pics | Praggnanandhaa's mother emotional after son becomes 1st Indian after Viswanathan Anand to enter WC semis
Besides, it is important to note that Vaishali has won the U-14 and U-12 world youth championships. She added the Woman International Master's title to her CV in 2016. The brother-sister duo had won bronze medals in the individual events at the Chess Olympiad held last year in Chennai.
Amid financial constraints, his father has always supported him. Apart from him, his mother Nagalakshmi is the one who accompanies Praggnanandhaa to almost every tournament and he follows their games from home.
Praggnanandhaa became the talk of the town when he became the youngest International Master at the age of 10 years, 10 months, and 19 days. And two years later, Praggnanandhaa became the second-youngest Grandmaster in 2018, a record which was broken by fellow Indian D Gukesh in 2019.
Prior to that, Praggnanandhaa had won the World Youth Chess Championships Under-8 title in 2013, also making him a FIDE Master when he was just seven. He then won the Under-10 title in 2015.
He had also produced a sensational show against Carlsen last year, beating the Norwegian chess grandmaster three consecutive times in rapid and blitz.
In an interaction with Indian Express back in 2016, Praggnanandhaa's coach RB Ramesh had noted: “He has a fantastic memory, which lets him remember his old matches. He knows the mistakes he's made without being told. The way he analyses his games is way beyond his years.”
Praggnanandhaa religious side
Some of our viewers are very curious about the mark in your forehead, the white mark. Can you tell me what that means for you," the reporter asked Praggnanandhaa in a video.
Visibly taken aback, Praggnanandhaa took his time to respond. "I do it because my mother asked me to do it very early on. It's just my practice, I do it every day," he said.
On being asked if it brings luck, the chess genius said, "I'm not sure," as onlookers laughed. "Sometimes, sometimes not," Praggnanandhaa added.
Visibly taken aback, Praggnanandhaa took his time to respond. "I do it because my mother asked me to do it very early on. It's just my practice, I do it every day," he said.
One thing I like about him is the "Vibhuti" (sacred ash) that he sports on his forehead. These days a lot of people are wary of wearing the Vibhuti, for fear of being seen as "not secular". When asked by a reporter, this is what he said!#Vibhuti
— Anand #IndianFromSouth (@Bharatiyan108) August 26, 2022
3/6pic.twitter.com/kcMC2c9qbv
On being asked if it brings luck, the chess genius said, "I'm not sure," as onlookers laughed. "Sometimes, sometimes not," Praggnanandhaa added.
Fun side of Praggnanandhaa!
Contrary to his serious side during his games, he is a very funny, naughty, playful kid at home. He enjoys comedy in movies. Also, he loves to play table tennis whenever he finds time. And whenever he is at home, he likes to spend time with us and we watch television together," she added.
Also, Praggnanandhaa loves cricket and he always games a match with his cousins when he finds time.
But chess is his calling in life and the journey so far has been a spectacular one for Praggnanandhaa!
Anjali Ankad
Anjali Ankad has completed graduation in Journalism and Mass Communication and Masters in Journalism. While working as a sub-editor to Newsbharati, she aims to make her hand robust on sports.