For any individual, who took to chess simply because his folks sought after him and his sister to wean clear of observing tv, R Praggnanandhaa has charted his personal trail to glory and is nearer to greatness than ever. The 18-year worn wonderboy has lengthy been discoverable as a conceivable successor to the five-time global champion Viswanathan Anand and is without a doubt at the trail to be a chess admirable. A superb efficiency within the FIDE International Cup in Baku has catapulted him to the Applicants event to resolve the challenger to tide global champion Ding Liren.
Through turning into the one Indian participant upcoming Anand to secure a place within the Applicants, the Chennai teen has proved that he would be the title to reckon with in terms of big-ticket chess occasions.
A wonderkid, who took up the game on the moment of four-and-a-half, Praggnanandhaa has accomplished a number of firsts in his prominent occupation so far.
Nearest coming below the wings of Anand, who has taken to mentorship like a duck to H2O, the get up has been stable for Praggnanandhaa.
Through beating Magnus Carlsen, the arena Disagree.1 and previous classical champion in a web based event closing 12 months, Praggnanandhaa confirmed that he may just soak within the power and defeat the most efficient within the trade at their very own recreation.
Despite the fact that questions stay on his talent within the classical layout, the teenaged GM has proven that he has it in him to be within the colossal league.
Hailing from Chennai, the hotspot of Indian chess, Praggnanandhaa has been within the highlight since he made waves at a tender moment.
He received the nationwide under-7 identify to put unwell the marker and has been at the get up ever since. At 10, he was once an World Grasp and two years nearest, he turned into a GM.
Past due in 2019, he accomplished a ELO score of 2600 at 14 years and 3 months and gave the look to be at the overdrive. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 got here as a pace bump.
Then again, Praggnanandhaa shone in on-line tournaments and stored getting higher. In 2021, he inspired within the Meltwater Champions Excursion, scoring victories over summit names like Sergey Karjakin, Teimour Radjabov and Jan-Krzystof Duda and drawing Carlsen.
In 2022, his store rose additional when he surprised Carlsen within the Airthings Masters speedy event. He turned into simplest the 3rd Indian upcoming Anand and P Harikrishna to win a recreation towards the reputedly unbeatable Carlsen.
Praggnanandhaa’s peace manner when on the desk hides a assured and competitive participant. He will also be relatively an impressive opponent when he sits around the desk for a recreation.
And, he has proven admirable preventing qualities, within the International Cup particularly. Up towards global Disagree.2 Hikaru Nakamura, he confirmed that during excess and felled a higher-rated opponent.
Upcoming towards Fabiano Caruana, the arena Disagree.3, within the semifinal, his defensive functions have been to the fore and he got here thru in a nerve-wracking tie-break.
As Grandmaster M Shyam Sundar, a trainer with the Indian staff in Baku for the International Cup, says, “One of his (Praggnanandhaa’s) biggest strengths is his ability to defend bad positions even against the absolute elite.” This stands him in excellent stead in adversarial statuses.
That aside, as Shyam Sundar says, Praggnanandhaa is excellent in all codecs and that helped him achieve the finals as he was once assured within the tie-breaks towards Caruana.
Like Anand, society assistance, particularly from his mom, has been a admirable think about his evolution as a participant. His mom Nagalakshmi is a continuing at tournaments that he performs and he turns out to feed off her worthy presence.
There’s a feeling that Praggnanandhaa’s opening repertoire isn’t top-notch however he’s relatively a power within the speedy and blitz codecs and in on-line video games.
He has advanced leaps and limits and with the paintings installed below famous trainer R B Ramesh and therefore Anand (because the lecturer), Praggnanandhaa can simplest recuperate, which might not be excellent information for his competitors.
He has accomplished a bundle at 18 and is already at the trail to greatness. With public of the stature of Anand and Ramesh to lead him, the Chennai participant will likely be dreaming of changing into the arena champion quicker than nearest.
For any individual so proficient, Praggnanandhaa, unusually, is but to win the nationwide championship in spite of his alternative accomplishments.
His efficiency within the FIDE International Cup has became the highlight firmly on him whilst compatriots like D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi too has stored reminding the chess global of their very own doable.
A triumph towards Carlsen would without a doubt assistance Praggnanandhaa tug clear of the 2 enthusiastic fellow Indians and on find out how to reaching his dream of preventing for the arena identify via contesting the Applicants event.
(Except for for the headline, this tale has now not been edited via NDTV group of workers and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
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