R Praggnanandhaa, also known as Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, is the center of attention right now. At the Airthings Masters, the young Indian chess grandmaster may have pulled off one of the most spectacular triumphs of his early career, defeating reigning champion and World Number One Magnus Carlsen.
The extraordinary chess talent, who hails from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, is one of the sport’s brightest prospects, and this tremendous triumph against someone of Carlsen’s calibre will be a major boost for him as his career advances.
#1 When he reached the final round of the Gredine Open in 2018, at the age of 12 years, 10 months, and 13 days, the Indian chess prodigy became the world’s second-youngest grandmaster.
In November 2017, he earned his first grandmaster norm after coming fourth with 8 points at the World Junior Chess Championship. On April 17, 2018, he earned his second GM norm in the Heraklion Fischer Memorial GM norm competition in Greece.
#2 In 2016, at the age of ten years and ten months, he became the youngest International Master.
At the Gredine Open in Urtiji, Italy, on June 23, 2018, he won his third and final norm by defeating Luca Moroni in the eighth round to become the world’s second-youngest grandmaster at the time, at the age of 12 years, 10 months, and 13 days (Karjakin attained the title at 12 years and 7 months).
#3 Praggnanandhaa became a FIDE master at the age of seven when he won the Under-8 World Youth Chess Championships in 2013. He won the Under-10 title two years later.
Praggnanandhaa was seeded 90th in the Chess World Cup 2021. In round 2, he defeated GM Gabriel Sargissian 2–0, and in round 3, he overcame GM Micha Krasenkow in quick tiebreaks to progress to round 4. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave eliminated him in the fourth round.
#4 He once said that he enjoys to play chess games even when on the phone, which helps him improve his abilities in the sport.
Praggnanandhaa competed in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2022 in the Masters section, winning games against Andrey Esipenko, Vidit Gujrathi, and Nils Grandelius, and finished in 12th position with an overall score of 512.
#5 After Vishwanathan Anand and Pentala Harikrishna, he became the third Indian to defeat Norwegian chess ace Magnus Carlsen.
