Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa is a prominent Indian chess player. In February 2022, he became the fifth person to win the Grandmaster title after famous chess players Abhimanyu Mishra, Sergey Karjakin, Gukesh D, and Javokhir Sindarov.
Wiki/Biography
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa was born on Wednesday, 10 August 2005 (age 18; in 2023) in Padi, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. His zodiac sign is Leo. He did his ninth standard from Velammal Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Chennai in 2022.
Physical appearance
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name is Rameshbabu, and he is a bank employee. His mother’s name was Nagalakshmi. He has an older sister named Vaishali Rameshbabu. He is a chess player.
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa with his family
Chess Tournament
Praggnanandhaa was the winner of the Under-8 World Junior Chess Championship title in 2013. He received the FIDE Master title at the age of seven. He was the winner of the Under-10 title in 2015 following Praggananandhaa who made history at the age of 10 years, 10 months, and 19 days and became an international chess master. He was the winner of the World Junior Chess Championship in 2017 and won his first chess grandmaster title. He earned his second chess grandmaster title on 17 April 2018 at the GM Norm Memorial Heraklion Fischer tournament in Greece. On 23 June 2018, at the Gredine Open in Urtijëi, Italy, Praggananandhaa received her third grandmaster title at the age of 12 years, 10 months and 13 days. At this age, he became the second youngest person to win this title. On 12 October 2019, the World Junior Championship in the Under-18 division was won by Praggananandhaa.
Praggananandhaa while receiving the TOISA 2019 best chess player of the year
He earned a rating of 2600 in December 2019 and became the second youngest person to earn this rating. In April 2021, he was the winner of the Polgar Challenge organized by the Julius Baer Group and Chess24.com for young talent. He is the winner of the Masters tournament organized by Tata Steel Chess Tournament in 2022. He is the winner of the Airthings Masters tournament in February 2022 and created history in the eighth round by defeating his opponent Magnus Carlsen, who is a world chess player. champion He was first congratulated by Sachin Tendulkar, who watched his game online, on his Twitter handle. Sachin wrote,
What a wonderful feeling that was for Pragg. All 16, and to have beaten the experienced & decorated Magnus Carlsen, and that too while playing black, is magical! Best wishes for a long & successful chess career ahead. You have made India proud!”
In May 2021, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa stunned world chess champion Magnus Carlsen at the online rapid chess tournament Master Chess. The fifth round of the match was headed for a draw, but Magnus Carlsen’s mistake in his transfer resulted in Carlsen losing. Despite winning the match, Praggnanandhaa was not happy. In a media conversation, he said,
I don’t want to win that way.”
On August 22, 2022, he defeated world No.1 Magnus Carlsen 4-2 in the finals of the FTX Crypto Cup, but he was unable to clinch first place and finished second in the final standings.
Facts/Trivia
- According to Praga’s father, initially his family did not want Praga to participate in the chess tournament. His father stated in an interview with a media house that Praga started showing interest in chess when he was only three and a half years old. His father said,
Praga was only three and a half years old when he started showing interest in the sport. Her sister Vaishali has already trained in the sport and is an International Master. Our financial situation is such that we are barely able to finance his classes and transport him. And when Praga was very interested in chess, my wife and I could not afford to let him pursue it.”
Childhood photos of Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa with his sister
- Praga’s father was a polio patient. Praga’s mother often visits world chess championship tournaments with her children. His sister is a famous chess player. She is the winner of the Women’s Grandmaster (WGM) title, held at the Riga Technical University Open chess tournament in Riga, Latvia on August 12, 2018. She is also the winner of the International Master (IM) title in 2021.
- RB Ramesh is Praggananandhaa’s coach, and Ramesh often organizes weekly chess camps for Praga so that he can practice better. According to Praga’s father, Praga regularly watches online chess tournaments which will help him improve his chess playing skills and attributes. He added that Praga often plays outdoor games so that he can relax his mind. His father stated that Praga was very good at studies as well but he focused more on playing chess. He said,
He studied well but his main focus remained chess. Academics take a back seat.”
- Praga often posts her pictures and videos on social media managed by her team members. Over 11k people follow him on Facebook, and over 26k people follow his Twitter handle.
- He is often featured by various famous newspapers in their articles.
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa in a newspaper article
- On February 22, 2022, shortly after he won the Airthings Masters tournament, he was asked by several media sources about his victory celebration. He then replied,
I think it’s just about sleep.”
- Indian chess champion Viswanathan Anand congratulated Prag on social media soon after Praga won the Master Airthings tournament and stated that Praga has all the ingredients of victory in him. He said,
Prague is the real deal. All he has to do is dot the i’s and cross the t’s. All the basic ingredients are there — just need a complete package.”
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa with Vishwanathan Anand
- In August 2023, Anand Mahindra, Chairman of Mahindra and Mahindra, presented an electric car to Praggnanandhaa’s parents as a token of gratitude for nurturing Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa’s spirit and giving him tireless support.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
