Who is R Praggnanandhaa? All you need to know about the chess prodigy who swept the globe by storm

Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, an Indian chess prodigy, has generated a lot of attention by becoming just the second Indian, after Viswanathan Anand, to get to the World Chess Final. The player known by the chess name Praggu is now at 1-1 in the 2023 final and has forced Magnus Carlsen to a tie-breaker, but unfortunately couldn't lift the trophy.

Praggnanandhaa, who accomplished the achievement in 2018 at the age of 12, is also the youngest Indian grandmaster. Here are five interesting facts about this exceptional Indian chess champion:

R Praggnanandhaa and his family

Born on August 10, 2005, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa is an Indian chess player who is also considered one of the country's brightest talents. Ramesh Babu's mother, Nagalaxmi, is a stay-at-home mom, and his father works for State Corporation Bank. Vaishali R, his older sister, is also a chess player. This child genius has been playing chess since the age of five. He has made important strides in the world of chess with the help of his family, who at first showed hesitation about him taking up the game.

When did Praggnanandhaa start playing chess?

The chess prodigy's first achievement came in 2013, when he won the Under-8 World Youth Chess Championship at the age of 7, after first becoming interested in the game after watching his sister play. He received the FIDE Master title for his victory. The player triumphed once more in the U-10 division in 2015.

International recognition for Praggnanandhaa

In 2016, Praggnanandhaa became the youngest International Master in the history of chess. Players who display extraordinary talent in the game are awarded the title of "International Master" by the Federation Internationale des Echecs (FIDE). It follows Grandmaster as the highest chess ranking. To acquire this title, a player must achieve three international norms in international competition and have a classical or standard FIDE rating of 2400. He achieved his first grandmaster norm at the 2017 World Junior Chess Championship.

Second youngest GrandMaster

Not only is the 16-year-old the second-youngest Grandmaster in chess history, but he is also the first Indian to do it. Grandmaster is the highest honor in the game of chess. This title requires three grandmaster norms in international competition, as well as a classical or standard FIDE rating of 2,500. This amazing talent had already won the crown at the young age of 12.

Beating Magnus Carlsen

In 2022, Praggnanandhaa defeated Magnus Carlsen at the online Airthings Masters, becoming just the third Indian, after Viswanathan Anand and Pentala Harikrishna. He was the world champion who was defeated while he was the youngest.

Becomes second Indian to reach Chess World Cup final

In the tie-breaker, Praggnanandhaa, who is 18 years old, defeated world No. 3 Fabiano Caruana to go to the FIDE World Cup final. After Viswanathan, he was the second Indian to accomplish the feat.