Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali: Siblings who tamed world champ Magnus Carlsen

At the start, the chess world struggled to correctly pronounce Praggnanandhaa but now it is striving hard to grapple with the terrific tactical intricacies he conjures up on the chequered board with relentless regularity.

Add to that, his uncompromising attitude towards shunning short draws, scant regard for ratings and reputations, his willingness to explore and experiment in positions pronounced ‘dead’ by most experts and it is little wonder that he has caught the imagination of one and all. And not just in the chess world.

How often is it that a seasoned and toughened five-time reigning world chess champion is caught on the wrong foot twice in three months to a teenager who is yet to storm into the top 100 in World Rankings? It is a rare occurrence in the chess world for sure and Magnus Carlsen, known as the mean machine, had his calculations going awry against the 16-year-old prodigy, Pragg, as he is fondly referred to, first in February this year and now, just last week.

Read | I am improving and on the right path: Praggnanandhaa

In fact Pragg’s family could be dubbed the ‘Carlsen beaters’ as his elder sister IM Vaishali was the first one to defeat a then 22-year-old Carlsen way back in 2013 in a Simultaneous exhibition match. As part of the World Chess Championship promotion, Carlsen played a Simultaneous Match against 20 selected players. It can be recalled, Carlsen had won his first World title then, defeating Viswanathan Anand in the finals.

However, it is not the double blows that Pragg pummelled Carlsen with that elevated and showcased his talent. It wasn’t either the clutch of world titles won in age-level categories and nor was it the feat of becoming the youngest International Master (IM) in the world.

It was a game played in a small event in 2016 at the Isle of Man against Axel Bachmann, a strong Grandmaster rated more than 200 points above him, that gave a glimpse of his immense potential and invited comparisons with none other than the mercurial maverick, Robert James Fischer, better known as Bobby Fischer. The 18-move miniature unleashed by then 11-year-old Pragg was compared with the famous game dubbed the ‘Game of the Century’ played brilliantly by the 13-year-old Fischer against Donald Byrne.

These sort of comparisons with legends and icons, who have cemented their place not just in record books but also etched their names in human memories, most often herald the advent of a face for the future and Pragg through the last five years has emphasised that the comparison at that time was no fluke with power-packed, stunning performances.

Of course, there are quiet periods in a player’s career where many think that they are not progressing or stagnating but in reality they are consolidating at that level before ascending. Pragg, too, was under an immense media glare and public pressure to be the youngest ever GM in chess history but missed the distinction by a few days.

At the board, Pragg’s fingers push and shove the wooden pieces in perfect harmony, just like a flawlessly played orchestra but it is his ambition, drive, self-confidence and the ability to work hard on the board irrespective of the position that differentiates him from other prodigies.

According to his coach GM RB Ramesh, Pragg himself had realised and acknowledged very early on that his is a precious talent and only hard work would hone and add sheen for it to realise the potential. Defeats don’t daunt him nor are triumphs a reason for celebration for this immensely matured teen whose only focus and obsession is to perfect his game by working and eliminating his weaknesses. Accolades in form of awards, invitations to elite events and sponsorships have started pouring in.

Pragg to a large extent has been fortunate in having a sparring partner at home in his elder sister Vaishali. In fact the duo is representing India in the forthcoming Olympiad scheduled in Chennai in July and both are huge medal prospects for India in the individual medal category also.

For more than three decades India has revered and rejoiced in the exploits of five-time World Champion, Viswanathan Anand, who had single-handedly ushered in a chess revolution and paved the path for youngsters to follow. India is rising and aiming to be a super power in chess. According to the current Rating list, India is positioned 4th in World ranking which is based on the average rating of their top 10 players.

However, unlike Anand, Pragg has many more teen talents to match steps with and Chess level hasn’t appeared this better ever in India! 18-year-olds Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin, 15-year-old Dommaraju Gukesh and 16-year-old Raunak Sadhwani, all amongst the youngest GMs in the World have been performing consistently above their rating level, winning and dominating international events for the past couple of years. Currently these talents are bunched tightly together in terms of rating and it remains to be seen how they garner more momentum.