Chennai, India

India's teen chess prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa arrived in his home town Chennai on Wednesday, August 30 after winning a silver at the Chess World Cup. The tournament, which was held in Baku, Azerbaijan saw Praggananandhaa become only the second Indian to enter the final of Chess World Cup after Viswanathan Anand.

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The young star was thrilled with the rousing welcome he received which included hundreds of fans and reporters. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development Udhayanidhi Stalin also met the chess star at his residence on August 30 to reward him with INR 3 million and a memento for his achievement.

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Speaking on the reception, the chess star said, "I am very happy. I am thrilled to see people coming here and recognising chess. This tells us that chess is growing as a sport. I feel like I got a breakthrough. My main aim was to qualify for the Candidates at the World Cup and I am very happy that I achieved the goal," Praggnanandhaa told media outlet Puthiya Thalaimurai.

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Praggnanandhaa may have lost to world champion Magnus Carlsen in the game of gold but on his way to the final he did beat recognised stars namely Hikaru Nakamura and Fabia Caruana. Praggnanandhaa, in the final showdown against Carlsen, did well to take the game to the tie-breakers but eventually had to settle with the silver. His exploits, nonetheless got him much appreciation from all quarters of game.

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With the second place finish in Chess World Cup, Praggnanandhaa also secured a place in the 2024 Candidates Tournament to determine the challenger in 2024 World Chess Championship. As for his next assignment, Praggnanadhaa will be heading to Germany to participate in World Rapid Chess.

The chess prodigy will again be in the spotlight as he has achieved the remarkable feat to beating the then-world champion Magnus Carlsen in a rapid chess game in February 2022 during Airthings Masters Rapid Chess Tournament.

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