Praggnanandhaa made it to the headlines after his recent win at the Tata Steel Chess Masters but that’s just the tip of the iceberg of his achievements. He has been playing chess from the age of three under his father’s guidance.
He made history in the chess world with his extraordinary achievements at such a young age and serves as an inspiration to aspiring chess players all over the world. So this article is all about the rise of India’s very own young chess prodigy.
The Early Moves: Praggnanandhaa’s Introduction to Chess and Early Achievements
was born on 10 August 2005 in Chennai, India. He was introduced to chess because of his elder sister, Vaishali abo js also a woman, grandmaster, and international master. She inspired him to play chess, and he started playing at the young age of three. His father, Rameshbabu, quickly saw his potential and became his first coach and guided him through his early challenges. His mother, Nagalakshmi, is a homemaker who accompanies Pragg on his tours.
Pragg and Vaishali are the first brothers and sisters to earn grandmasters titles and qualify for the Candidates Tournament.
By the age of five, he started participating in local chess tournaments, quickly gaining recognition for his exceptional focus and strategic play.
He won the World Youth Chess Championship under 8 in 2013, earning him the title of FIDE Master. He also became the youngest international master in history history chess at the age of 10 years, 10 months, and 9 days. He became a grandmaster at the age of 12 and created history by becoming the second youngest in history to achieve this milestone.
His skills were further honed under the guidance of Grandmaster R.B. Ramesh at the Chess Gurukul, an academy known for nurturing young chess talents.
Praggnanandhaa then went on to claim multiple titles like the Xtracon Chess Open in Denmark in the 2019 World Youth Championship in the same year and also became the second youngest person to achieve a rating of 2600.
In 2021, he won the Polgar Challenge, which helped him qualify for the Meltwater Chamipns Chess Tour, where he finished in 10th place. He also made it to the Chess World Cup in 2021 as the 90th seed.
The Next Chapter: Praggnanandhaa’s Recent Successes and Future Plans
Praggnanandhaa’s recent achievements include winning the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in 2025, where he also played against the World Chess Champion Gukesh D.
Earlier in 2024, he defeated World Number 1, Magnus Carslen in the Norway Chess Tournament, which marked a significant milestone in his career. Pragg and his sister, Vaishali, were also a part of the Indian winning squad in the 45th Chess Olympiad.
He also became the world’s youngest player to reach the Chess World Cup final defeating Fabiano Caruana in the semi-finals. This feat earned him the record of being the second Indian after Vishwanathan Anand to reach the finals in the Chess World Cup history.
As of now, Pragg is competing in Prague Masters 2025, where he started his campaign with a tie against David Navara. The future holds a lot of opportunities for him, and it will be interesting to see how he continues to advance from a chess prodigy to a world champion.
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