Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa: From Chess enthusiast to World Cup runner-up at 18

Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa was born in Chennai, India, on 10 August, 2005. His passion for Chess arose when he was two years old. His elder sister, Vaishali, who achieved the grandmaster title in 2018, inspired him to play Chess. At six, he secured second place in the under-7 Indian champions and won the gold medal at the Asian Championship. 

Praggnanandhaa continued his winning streak by grabbing the World Youth Chess Championships titles for under 8s and 10s. He became the youngest achiever of the international master's title at 10. Two years later, he became the second-youngest player to achieve the grandmaster title at 12.

Praggnanandhaa won his first Grandmaster norm at the World Junior Championships in Tarvisio in November 2017. He won his second norm at the Heraklion Fischer Memorial Grandmaster Norm tournament in Greece in April 2018.
 

Praggnanandhaa emerged victorious in the Xtracon Chess Open in Denmark in July 2019. He also won the World Youth Championships in the under-18 category. He became the second-youngest person to reach the milestone of a 2600 rating. 
 

In 2022, Praggnanandhaa received the Arjuna Award 2022 in Chess. He also received a cash prize worth $18,000 (₹15 Lakhs), a bronze statue, a ceremonial dress and a certificate. 
 

Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa became the youngest player to reach the Chess World Cup finalist. The final match against the world's number one Magnus Carlsen resulted in a draw, leading to a tie-break. Although he didn't win the game, he remains an unparalleled source of inspiration for many.