Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa on Thursday finished as the runner-up at the 2023 Chess World Cup in Azerbaijan's Baku, after losing the tiebreaks against Magnus Carlsen. Earlier the two played out draws in the two classical games.
Though Praggnanandhaa could not beat Carlsen, he has his chin up as he defeated many high-ranked opponents on his way to the finals, including world no. 2 Hikaru Nakamura and no. 3 Fabiano Caruana. Praggnanandhaa also secured a ticket to the FIDE Candidates tournament by winning the silver medal.
After the Chess World Cup Final, Praggnanandhaa in conversation with NDTV revealed the name of the person who inspired him to take up the game and guided him. Turns out it's not some famous chess player, but his sister Vaishali who, he said, has always motivated him to play chess.
Elder sibling of Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali is a chess player who holds the FIDE titles of International Master (IM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM).
"I came to chess because of her. We help each other in chess preparations. We discuss the game a lot. It benefits both of us," Praggnanandhaa was quoted as saying.
Vaishali, on the other hand, called their mother the biggest support. "Mother has been a big support for us. She goes to the places where we play. It is not easy. Big thanks to our mother."
Praggnanandhaa has been qualified for the FIDE Candidates tournament, 2024, which will be an eight-player chess tournament that will be held from April 2 to 25, 2024, in Toronto, Canada.
Published 25 August 2023, 11:03 IST