- Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa takes on world no. 1 Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen in the final of the 2023 Chess World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan.
- This will be the 20th time Praggnanandhaa takes on Carlsen, with the latter holding a slight advantage in head-to-head.
- R Praggnanandhaa started playing chess at the age of 5, before winning the World Youth Chess Championship Under-8 title in 2013.
- At 10 years, 10 months, and 19 days, Praggnanandhaa is the youngest international master in the history of the sport.
- R Praggnanandhaa is the youngest Indian to reach the World Cup final.
- The last Indian to reach the final was Viswanathan Anand, who is a two-time World Cup winner in 2000 and 2002
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa takes on world no. 1 Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen in the final of the 2023 Chess World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan. The 18-year-old became the youngest Indian finalist after beating Fabiano Caruana 3.5-2.5 in a semi-final decided by a single tiebreak win. The last Indian to reach the final was Viswanathan Anand, who is a two-time World Cup winner in 2000 and 2002. This will be the 20th time Praggnanandhaa takes on Carlsen, with the latter holding a slight advantage in head-to-head.
Rameshbabu Pragganandhaa, better known as R Praggnanandhaa, eyes history as he takes on world No.1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the final of the Chess World Cup on Tuesday. Praggnanandhaa, who was born on August 10, 2005, in Chennai, defeated world No.3 Fabiano Caruana of the USA in the semi-final on Monday. The 18-year-old edged out Caruana following a 1-1 tie in their two-game classical series, to set up a captivating final against Carlsen. He is the first Indian in 21 years to reach the final of the Chess World Cup since Viswanathan Anand, who won the world title in 2000 and 2002.
As Praggnanandhaa chases history, here’s all you need to know about the young Indian Grandmaster:
R Praggnanandhaa was born on August 10, 2005, in Chennai. He started playing chess at the age of 5. He hails from a Tamil family. He completed high school at Chennai’s Velammal Matriculation Higher Secondary School.
At 10 years, 10 months, and 19 days, Praggnanandhaa is the youngest international master in the history of the sport. He attained the Grandmaster norm at the age of 12 years, 10 months, and 13 days, making him the fifth youngest to achieve the feat. Praggnanandhaa is the youngest Indian to reach the World Cup final. Last year, Praggnanandhaa was honored with the Arjuna Award in November.
He has a sister, Vaishali, who is also a chess player. His father, Rameshbabu, works as a branch manager at TNSC Bank, and his mother, Nagalakshmi, is a homemaker.
Praggnanandhaa won the World Youth Chess Championship Under-8 title in 2013, as well as the Under-10 title in 2015.
(With inputs from agencies
