When Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa toppled the current world chess champion at the Airthings Masters, there was but one thing on his mind sleep. At 3 am in Chennai, he had just sent shockwaves through the chess world by decimating Magnus Carlsen in 39 moves playing black, and after texting his coach and telling his father, he went to sleep. There aren’t many in the world who can claim to have done what Praggnanandhaa did that night of 20 February 2022. Only two Indians, Viswanathan Anand and Pentala Harikrishna, have managed to defeat the titan of the sport. Of the small list of people who can boast about beating Magnus Carlsen, Praggnanandhaa is the youngest. Of course, this is nothing new to him. Praggs, as he is known, became an International Master at 10. He is the youngest chess player ever to achieve this title (breaking Sergey Karjakin’s record by over a year). He became the second youngest Grandmaster in the world at the age of 12. Speaking to Sportstar in April 2021, Magnus Carlsen said that for now, “... we can enjoy the fact that (Praggs) is playing so well at this age and I would say also fearlessly.” That fearlessness was on full display back in April 2021, when they played out an 80-move draw. Since then, he has had to adapt to playing chess at the highest level at ungodly hours, with the schedules of online tournaments often shaped that way. Described by critics as an aggressive and stylish player, Praggnanandhaa is comfortable sacrificing important pieces and waiting out his opponents to get the win. A master of patience at this tender age, he is willing to wait till every possible tactic has been tried. In his thrilling draw with Carlsen in 2021, he declined a draw twice, and although the match eventually ended in a draw, critics and spectators said that Praggs’ game reminded them of a young Magnus Carlsen. It is worth noting that just before triumping over Carlsen, he had also beaten Levon Aronian, the fourth highest-rated player. Upsetting two of the best on the same day, it is not difficult to see why many consider him the future of chess. Praggnanandhaa did not fully realise the gravity of his win till the congratulatory messages began pouring in. Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on Twitter, “We are all rejoicing on the success of the young genius R Praggnanandhaa. Proud of his accomplishment of winning against the noted champion Magnus Carlsen. I wish the talented Praggnanandhaa the very best for his future endeavours.” The God of Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, also tweeted his congratulations, “What a wonderful feeling it must be for Praggnanandhaa. All of 16, and to have beaten the experienced & decorated Magnus Carlsen, and that too while playing black, is magical! Best wishes on a long & successful chess career ahead. You’ve made India proud!” For Praggnanandhaa, the journey has just begun. “The goal this year is to reach (the FIDE rating of) 2700,” says his coach, Ramesh.
10 Apr 2022
Adarsh Tripathi
