R Praggnanandhaa become India’s No.1 chess player

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa has put up a spectacular performance by defeating Ding Liren in the Tata Steel Masters event. Ding Liren is the current World Champion, and Praggnanandhaa emerged victorious in the fourth round. With this win, R Praggnanandhaa has surpassed Viswanathan Anand and claimed the top spot among Indian Grandmasters. He had defeated Ding in the same event last year as well.

With this victory, Praggnanandhaa has also overtaken Viswanathan Anand in the rating standings. In FIDE’s live ratings, Praggnanandhaa has reached the 11th position with 2748.3 points, while Anand is at the 12th position with 2748.0 points. Magnus Carlsen leads the list, followed by Fabiano Caruana.

Notably,  R Praggnanandhaa holds several records. He became the youngest International Master in 2016 at the age of just 10 years and 10 months. He achieved the title of Grandmaster in 2017 and added another accomplishment in 2018. Praggnanandhaa hails from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, born in 2005, and his father, Rameshbabu, holds a managerial position in a bank.

Praggnanandhaa has also defeated American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana. In August 2023, he secured a place in the final of the Chess World Cup Tournament by winning in the semifinals against Caruana in tiebreaks. Praggnanandhaa became the second Indian to reach the final in the history of the Chess World Cup, following in the footsteps of Viswanathan Anand. However, he was defeated by Magnus Carlsen in the final match.

Now, let’s take a look at the story of R Praggnanandhaa

Born on August 10, 2005, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa is a prodigious Indian chess player. Considered one of the country’s most talented chess players, he comes from a family deeply involved in the game. Rameshbabu’s father works at a State Corporation Bank, and his mother, Nagalakshmi, is a homemaker. His elder sister, Vaishali R, is also a chess player and holds the title of Woman Grandmaster. Vaishali, at the age of 19, has become a well-known chess player in India.

Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa’s journey into chess began at the age of five, inspired by his sister Vaishali’s interest in the game. His father, Rameshbabu, shared that initially, they encouraged Vaishali to play chess to divert her attention from watching too much television. As she took chess training, Praggnanandhaa became fascinated with the game at the tender age of three. Since Vaishali was receiving chess coaching, she became his first chess teacher.

Rameshbabu, Praggnanandhaa’s father, told PTI news agency, “We associated Vaishali with chess to reduce her TV watching time. Both children liked the game and decided to continue playing it. We are happy that both are doing well in the sport. More importantly, they are enjoying playing chess.”

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