Praggnanandhaa's moves

18-year-old R Praggnanandhaa is India's gift to world chess after Viswanathan Anand. Praggnanandhaa, who showcased his strength on the world stage at a very young age, was in the news again after he defeated the current world champion Ding Liren of China in the Tata Steel Masters Tournament held in the Netherlands the other day. With this title win, Praggnanandhaa came first in India's chess ranking by surpassing Viswanathan Anand in the FIDE rating. Praggnanandhaa had defeated Liren in the fourth round of the same tournament last year. By winning the very first tournament of the year, Praggnanandhaa has gifted a new year of hope.

Ding Liren will be out to defend his throne at this year's World Chess Championship. The Candidates Tournament to find out Liren's opponent in that battle will be held in Canada in April. Praggnanandhaa is one of the eight participants contesting in the Candidates tournament. He got the chance to participate in the tournament as he was the runner-up in last year's World Cup. Praggnanandhaa lost in the World Cup final to the legendary Magnus Carlsen, who won the world championship five times. Praggnanandhaa, who has defeated Carlsen in online tournaments, is taking steps towards becoming the next Indian to be the world champion after Anand.

The victory over Ding Liren is a major milestone in Praggnanandhaa's rise to the top of the world. Having made history by becoming the youngest International Master at the age of 10 and the second youngest Grandmaster at the age of 12, Praggnanandhaa is climbing the peaks he has to conquer one by one. Praggnanandhaa, the son of an ordinary bank officer in Chennai, is the first Indian who contested in the World Cup final after Viswanathan Anand.

Simplicity is the hallmark of Praggnanandhaa. His mother Nagalakshmi, a housewife, is the one who accompanies him everywhere as his polio-stricken father Ramesh Babu cannot travel with him. The foundation of Praggnanandhaa's extraordinary successes is the love and care of that ordinary mother who supports her son's successes on the world stage. His sister R Vaishali, who recently won the title of Women Grandmaster, also provides support to Praggnanandhaa's moves.

Viswanathan Anand was the first to encourage Praggnanandhaa after seeing his talent. Praggnanandhaa got a big sponsorship at a young age after Anand projected him as his successor and helped him showcase his talent to the world. The confidence that comes with the support of a legend like Anand is not small. There is no doubt that Praggnanandhaa will be able to make the Indian flag fly high in world chess. We also wish Malayalee chess geniuses SL Narayanan and Nihal Sarin to be able to achieve great success on the world stage.