16-year-old Indian Chess Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa Defeats World No. 1 Carlsen
Our desi kids sure know just how to sway the world! 16-year-old Indian chess Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated world no. 1, Magnus Carlsen of Norway, in the eighth round of the Airthings Masters Rapid Online Chess Tournament on Monday.
The fifth-youngest person ever to achieve the title of Grandmaster, Praggnanandhaa, won in 39 moves in a Tarrasch variation game. As reported by the IANS, he halted 31-year-old Carlsen’s run of three consecutive victories.
Praggnanandhaa won the World Youth Chess Championships U-8 title in 2013, which earned him the title of FIDE Master at the age of 7.
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! pic.twitter.com/hTQiwznJvX
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) February 21, 2022
He currently has eight points and is in joint 12th spot after eight rounds. Following the Carlsen success, Praggnanandhaa now has two wins, two draws, and four losses.
On Sunday, he drew the first round with Le Quang Liem of Vietnam and lost to Canadian Eric Hensen, Chinese Ding Liren, and Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda.
On Monday, he drew against Dutch player Anish Giri and lost to Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan. Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi is leading the standings with 19 points.
The Airthings Masters has a 16-player online rapid format, where the winner gets three points, while a draw earns him only one in the preliminary rounds. Seven more rounds remain in the preliminary phase.
Talking to ESPN Praggnanandhaa’s coach RB Ramesh said, “Before the pandemic, he was in a really good form and reached 2600 Elo rating at the age of 14. The long break in tournaments impacted him quite a bit, particularly in confidence. His results in the past six months have swung between extremes. In some games he has been playing like a 2750 player, in others, he’s operating at a 2550 level. The fluctuation can be worrying and needs to be stabilized. This win against Magnus is important. Beating one of the strongest players in chess history is a huge moment for him.”
