Praggnanandhaa (full name Ramesh Praggnanandhaa) is the first Indian since Vishwanathan Anand (2002) to make It to Chess World Cup Semifinals. The 18-year-old Chess GrandMaster reached the Semifinals of the Chess World Cup in 2023 and drew his first of 2 matches against Fabio Caruana and is all set to play whites in the next game and win it to secure a place in Chess World Cup Final.
Praggnanandhaa defeating Magnus Carlsen
World No. 29 Praggnanandhaa most probably will face World No.1 Magnus Carlsen in the final, whom he had already defeated 3 times, in 2016, 2018 and 2022 respectively. The first defeat Praggnanandhaa handed over to Magnus Carlsen was when he was 10 years old, the same age when he became International Master.
Praggnanandhaa was born in Tamilnadu, India to Rameshbabu and Nagalaxmi, the same place where 5-time World Chess Champion Vishwanathan Anand was born. He is the younger sibling of Women Grandmaster and International Master R Vaishali. His father works as a branch manager at TNSC Bank, and his mother is a homemaker.
Chess Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa with his family
The parents of Praggnanandhaa encouraged him and their girl child to pursue chess at a very younger age. The testimony of their dedication lies in the fact that Praggnanandhaa won the World Youth Chess Championship under-8 title in 2013 and became FIDE Master. He won the under-10 title in 2015. He also became the youngest International Master at the age of 10 years, 10 months and 18 days.
In the year 2022, he received India’s 2nd highest sporting honour Arjuna Award from the President of India, Droupadi Murmu.
Praggnanandhaa listening to his idol Vishwanathan Anand
This Chess GrandMaster idolizes Vishwanathan Anand and wishes to become a world champion like him. And most importantly, the 18-year-old Praggnanandhaa is a nemesis of Magnus Carlsen, who had a better record against Vishwanathan Anand.
It looks like the student of Anand has the perfect weapons to take revenge against Magnus Carlsen. The Chess Prodigy travels with his mother to various tournaments across the globe and wishes to make his mark in the Global arena with a world championship win.
Praggnanandhaa with his mother
