Chess prodigy R. Praggnanandhaa meets PM Modi after claiming silver at FIDE World Cup

The teenager is part of the Asian Games squad

At the Prime Minister's official residence in Delhi on Thursday (August 31st), Indian teenage chess prodigy R. Praggnanandhaa received the honour of meeting the leader of the country. Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, had praised the youngster for his remarkable performance and for putting up a tough fight against former world champion Magnus Carlsen.

The young player, who made the whole of India proud was accompanied by his parents for the Prime Minister's office. Fondly called "Praggs," he took to social media platform X thanking the PM and quipped, "It was a great honour to meet Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence!. Thank you sir for all the words of encouragement to me and my parents."

PM also quoted his tweet stated that he was "delighted" to meet him and was "proud" of him. 

After winning silver at the FIDE World Cup, Grand Master Praggnanandha first arrived at the Chennai International Airport on August 30th. The chess hero received a warm welcome from Tamil folk dancers and several media personnel. As he was being driven home in an open top car, onlookers rejoiced for his feat and waved their hands.

Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa at 18, is the youngest to finish runner-up at the mega event. The top-ranked player in the world, Magnus Carlsen, beat the Indian teenager in a round of tie-breakers after their first two games finished in draws. Winning the silver medal also guaranteed Praggnanandhaa a place in the Candidates tournament, where eight players will contend for the opportunity to take on reigning world champion Ding Liren in 2024.

Before this edition, none of the Indians had progressed to qualify for the finals except legend Vishwanathan Anand who won the title back in 2002. At the FIDE World Cup Praggnanandhaa was close to winning the title and missed out by close margins.