At an age of 12, when we barely know what world records are, R Praggnanandhaa from Chennai scripted history by becoming the youngest Indian and world’s second youngest Grandmaster.
According to a report by the Indian Express, Praggnanandhaa, beat Italian Grandmaster Luca Moroni Jr in the 8th round at the Gredine Open in Italy and achieved this feat.
The game saw the Chennai lad make some powerful chess moves and he did not let go of the advantage he got in the beginning of the game.
Croatian GM Saric Ivan currently holds the title of being the world’s youngest Grandmaster at 12 years, 7 months. And globally, Praggnanandhaa comes right after him, in the second spot at age 12 years, 10 months and 13 days.
Legendary Viswanathan Anand also lauded the champion on his achievement.
He told ESPN:
What impresses me about Praggnanandhaa is that he’s not just a strong player but mixes imaginative middle game play with patient endgame skills and is uncompromising in not settling for easy, quick draws. He’s also shown a level of sophistication in handling tournament games. I think he will go far.
Praggnanandhaa had become the youngest International Master in the history of chess when he was just 10 year old.
His parents had introduced the game of chess to his elder sister, R Vaishali, and it soon captured Praggnanandhaa’s interest.
Praggnanandhaa’s father, R Rameshbabu, who is affected by polio and cannot accompany him to the tournaments, told ESPN,
My wife was already travelling with Vaishali (his elder sister) when Praggnanandhaa started playing. So our first worry was how we would manage both their schedules, but realising his passion for chess, we were forced to give in