PM Modi meets Chess World Cup star player R Praggnanandhaa

India's chess star R Praggnanandhaa got the opportunity to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his return from Baku. Praggnanandhaa gained popularity after being the only second Indian to reach the Chess World Cup finale. At a young age, Praggnanandhaa was playing against Magnus Carlsen at the FIDE Chess World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The chess star player expressed his happiness over the social media platform X. He posted, “It was a great honour to meet Hon'ble Prime Minister @narendramodi at his residence! Thank you sir for all the words of encouragement to me and my parents.”

Even PM Modi took to social media and appreciated the young boy's intelligence.  PM Modi's tweet said, “Had very special visitors at 7, LKM today. Delighted to meet you, @rpragchess along with your family. You personify passion and perseverance. Your example shows how India's youth can conquer any domain. Proud of you!”

Praggnanandhaa is the only second Indian after the legendary Viswanathan Anand to reach the final of the Chess World Cup. Though Praggnanandhaa lost the final to the legendary Magnus Carlsen, he made the entire nation proud by reaching the finale in Baku. He has made his place for the Candidates Tournament by finishing in the top 3 in the World Cup.

The Sports Minister Anurag Thakur invited R Praggnanandhaa to his residence and felicitated him. Thakur believes that India has a good chance of winning gold at the Asian Games. He said,  “Praggnanandhaa became very mature at a young age. He is mentally tough, his moves are so speedy and the way he has prepared mentally, physically as well and on the chess board is indeed praiseworthy. I want to congratulate him. To become an International Master at 10 and beat (Magnus) Carlsen at 16 is a huge achievement. He has worked hard to achieve a lot of things in the past few years. His parents also have had a huge role to play,”

Praggnanandhaa received a warm welcome when he arrived in Chennai. He was pleased to see chess as a sport gaining attention in the country. He added, “Very happy that we are getting this support from the government. In many other countries, players don’t get the support. Support is essential. I’m very happy that chess is growing. As a fan of the sport, I’m happy to see that it’s getting more and more popular.”

Praggnanandhaa had a thrilling match against the world's No. 1 chess player, Magnus Carlsen. The match ended with a loss to Carlsen in the tie-break at Baku, Azerbaijan. Despite the loss, he received worldwide recognition and fame for reaching the finals in chess sports. Praggnanandhaa displayed admirable determination throughout the game but eventually fell short of Carlsen's extensive experience. The two had played several matches earlier that resulted in a series of draws in their Classical Chess games.

He is the runner-up in the 2023 FIDE World Cup which qualifies him for the upcoming FIDE Candidates tournament. The Candidates, a premier eight-player chess event scheduled from April 2 to April 25, 2024, in Toronto, Canada. The winner of this tournament earns the opportunity to challenge for the coveted title in the 2024 World Chess Championship match.