Praggnanandhaa vs Magnus Carlsen Game: Indian Chess GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa has defeated World No.1, Magnus Carlsen, in the eighth round of the Airthings Masters rapid online chess tournament on February 21. Since then, the internet is flooded with congratulatory messages and wishes.
A historic achievement!
— Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (@MIB_India) February 22, 2022
16-year old international Chess Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa defeated World No.1 @MagnusCarlsen at #AirthingsMasters Chess on 21st February, 2022.
📽️: Inspirational journey of the young Chess sensation.@rpragchess @Media_SAI @ianuragthakur @FIDE_chess pic.twitter.com/Hk4uu85UTY
“Beating him once is my biggest dream,” said Praggnanandhaa who while playing black managed to defeat World No. 1 in 39 moves in a Tarrasch variation. With his historic win, the Indian GM is on the 12th spot with eight points.
"He (Carlsen) has a solution for even the most complicated problem,” explained Praggnanandhaa. But on February 21, even the bonafide GOAT, the marketing face of the game fell short of the solution.
Praggnanandhaa beats World Champion Magnus Carlsen with the black pieces at the Airthings Masters 2022. It was an online game with a time control of 15+10.
— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) February 20, 2022
Until now the only Indians to beat Magnus in a tournament game have been Anand and P. Harikrishna. Pragg now joins the list! pic.twitter.com/ZX1emeY9v6
The feat achieved by 16-year-old Praggnanandhaa is special as he is only the third Indian to defeat the reigning world champion after Viswanathan Anand and P Harikrishna.
"Always proud of our talents! Very good day for @rpragchess," tweeted Viswanathan Anand, five-time world chess champion, and the greatest Chess player that India has produced.
Always proud of our talents! Very good day for @rpragchess https://t.co/vIcFUwAzmZ
— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) February 21, 2022
"What a wonderful feeling it must be for Pragg. All of 16, and to have beaten the experienced & decorated Magnus Carlsen, and that too while playing black, is magical! Best wishes on a long & successful chess career ahead. You’ve made India proud!" tweeted Sachin Tendulkar who is hailed as the God of Cricket.
Thank you very much sir! It means a lot coming from you!! https://t.co/NwlZDksfmZ
— Praggnanandhaa (@rpragchess) February 21, 2022
Hours before beating Carlsen, Praggnanandhaa outplayed Armenian GM Levon Aronian.
You know you have done something special when you beat Levon Aronian and that is not the biggest news of the day!
— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) February 21, 2022
On day 2 of the Airthings Masters 2022, 16-year-old Praggnanandhaa not only beat Magnus Carlsen, but also outplayed Levon Aronian!https://t.co/oupr31tnyG pic.twitter.com/lSomjW4FFW
At 10, the Indian chess prodigy became the youngest international master in history in 2016.
How did Chess become Praggnanandhaa's hobby?
Praggnanandhaa took the sport at 3, an age when most kids are classified as toddlers. He acquired the hobby from his sister who was introduced to the game by her parents. "We had introduced Vaishali to chess so as to cut down on her TV viewing habits as a child. As it happened, the two children liked the game and decided to pursue it," Praggnanandhaa's polio-afflict father Rameshbabu recalled. Their mother, Nagalakshmi, accompanies the two at chess tournaments.
"We are happy the two were able to make it big in the sport. More importantly, we are delighted that they are enjoying themselves by playing the sport," he added. Praggnanandhaa's 19-year-old Vaishali is a Woman GM. Her interest in the game intensified after she won a tournament.
About Airthings Masters
Airthings Masters is an online rapid chess tournament having a 16-player format. For each win, the player gets three points and one for a draw in the preliminary rounds. In total, there are 7 preliminary rounds following which the top 8 players advance to the knockout stage.
Also Read | Abhimanyu Mishra became the youngest ever Grandmaster in Chess: All you need to know
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