Conquering the 64 squares, one move at a time: R Praggnanandhaa

Those closest to him, say the best is yet to come, nonetheless, the dashing R Praggnanandhaa remains unperturbed by the fanfare that comes along with his multiple jaw-dropping achievements. A fan of mathematics and Tamil music, Praggnanandhaa is one of the most recognisable faces in Indian sport. The boyish charm takes a step back when the youngster is in competition, aiming to win the biggest laurels for his country.

And currently, that steely resolve is in play at the FIDE Candidates Tournament in Canada.

Praggnanandhaa's journey is a captivating narrative, woven with intrigue and determination. His ascent in the world of chess started from a tender age of 4, under the mentorship of the great Viswanathan Anand and coached by the very well-known RB Ramesh. He then went on to become India's youngest and the then world's second youngest Grandmaster at the age of 12 in 2018. The duo's parents however weren't the biggest fans of the game, and in fact, the children were enrolled into an academy close by to cut down on their television time.

Before that, he caught the eye of the chess family in 2013, a few years after starting off his journey, he won the World Youth Chess Championship (Under-8) title in 2013, earning him the title of FIDE Master. In 2016, Praggnanandhaa became the youngest International Master in history, at the age of 10 years, 10 months, and 19 days.

For the 18-year-old Praggnanandhaa, the journey has not been easy, from balancing out his education and the rigours of the sport, along with the ups and downs, of the highest level. An Asian Games Silver Medallist from 2022 Hangzhou, his goal is to be the very best, much along the lines of the great Gary Kasparov, and for that, the support system is as important as his mental strength. In recent times, the chess prodigy found a pillar of support in the Adani Group.

Praggnanandhaa, who hails from Padi in the suburbs of west Chennai, achieved his first Grandmaster norm at the World Junior Chess Championship in 2017, and added the second norm in Greece in 2018.

From then on in, the young man's career graph has been on the uptick. In December 2019, he became the second-youngest player to achieve a rating of 2600, at the age of 14 years, 3 months and 24 days.

With the chess world taking note of the young man's achievements quite regularly, he went into the Chess World Cup in 2021 as the 90th seed, on the back of a draw against Magnus Carlsen. The rivalry with the great Magnus Carlsen was going to continue for the young man.

A year on, in 2022, he became only the third Indian to defeat Carlsen in any time format at the Champions Chess Tour 2022. A few months down the line, at the Chessable Masters Online Rapid Chess Tournament in May 2022, he had Carlsen's number yet again once again, before going on to register three more wins against him within the year.

Praggnanandhaa, whose father works as a branch manager at TNSC Bank and whose mother is a homemaker, picked up another accolade to start of 2023 - when he defeated a 2800-rated grandmaster, Ding Liren. And then, he raised the bar higher, by becoming the world's youngest chess player to reach the World Cup final, and only the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to contest the same.

Motivation has never been a problem for Praggnanandhaa. Since becoming the GM, he trains seven hours a day and mixes that up with a game of table tennis at the Chess Gurukul Academy, located in a quiet corner of Chennai's bustling, commercial T Nagar area. Oftentimes, Praggnanandhaa is compared to the great Viswanathan Anand, who is understandably delighted to see the progress and tenacity the youngster brings to the table. That tenacity and the eagerness to always learn and improve has always held him in good stead.