The first two games of the final in the FIDE World Cup in Azerbaijan's capital Baku ended in a draw, but Magnus Carlsen won the tie-breaker.
Published Aug 24, 2023 | 5:26 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 24, 2023 | 6:15 PM
Pragg vs Carlsen. (X)
World number one Magnus Carlsen on Thursday, 24 August, defeated Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, affectionately called Pragg in chess circles, over two tight-fought games in the tiebreaker of the final of the biennial FIDE World Cup.
It ended a dream run of sorts, with Praggs ending just short of a November 2022 prediction by Tamil Nadu State Chess Association vice-president Anantharam R, who had told South First that he was capable of becoming a world champion in the future.
The first two games of the final in the FIDE World Cup in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku against Carlsen ended in a draw, with Praggnanandhaa playing with black pieces on the second day.
Carlsen was briefly on the back foot in the first game of the day but took control towards the end, putting Pragg into time trouble. The Norwegian was far more dominant in the second game before shaking hands with Pragg for a draw.
His father Rameshbabu could not watch the first game owing to his work commitments.
“I had been busy with work the whole day and only saw the results after the game. I don’t think there is any pressure of expectations on him. He always plays as he likes, with the guidance of his coach (RB Ramesh),” the bank employee told South First.
Thursday’s defeat was not new for Praggs, but big-ticket wins are not new to him either, as he has often made history and created front-page headlines.
He took up chess at the age of four-and-a-half and won the national under-7 title. There has been no turning back since then.
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa.
From becoming the youngest International Master in 2016, when he rose to fame, at the age of 10, to achieving the feat of Grandmaster (GM) two years later, Pragg has broken the ceiling several times.
He became the youngest player (16) ever to beat the world champion, Magnus Carlsen, last year and later the first chess player in 14 years from the southern states to win the prestigious Arjuna Award. Of the 82 GMs India has produced, over 50 percent (46) come from the five southern states.
Late in 2019, he achieved an ELO rating (used to measure the skills of a player) of 2,600 at 14 years and three months.
While Covid-19 hampered the offline tournaments, Praggnanandhaa sparkled in online formats. He scored impressive victories over top names like Sergey Karjakin, Teimour Radjabov, and Jan-Krzystof Duda, and drew with Carlsen in the Meltwater Champions Tour in 2021.
The next year he stunned Carlsen in the Airthings Masters rapid tournament and became only the third Indian after Anand and P Harikrishna in a battle against a seemingly unbeatable Carlsen.
Pragg’s fabulous performance in the World Cup has booked him a berth at the uber-exclusive Candidates tournament, which determines the challenger to current world champion Ding Liren of China.
For Pragg’s coach RB Ramesh, himself India’s 10th GM, his fourth-round tiebreaker win against compatriot and Telangana prodigy Arjun Erigaisi was a “turning point as Pragg made a comeback with black pieces in a must-win situation” after losing the first round.
“He lost the first game with the white pieces and I was extremely sad after that. I was not sure how Pragg would come back after that loss, especially if Arjun played for a draw. But somehow he created some chances in the endgame and defeated Arjun. The nerves were very visible in that match, which led Pragg to make more mistakes than he normally would,” Ramesh explained.
After vanquishing Erigaisi, 29th-ranked Pragg cruised to victory against world number three Fabiano Caruana on 21 August with a score of 3.5-2.5 in the semifinal decided by a single tiebreaker win.
“Pragg was defending in difficult situations and surviving in the game against Fabiano as well. I think these two matches were very difficult games,” Ramesh pointed.
Ramesh views it as a good learning opportunity when it comes to 18-year-old Pragg to play against staunch opponents like Carlsen.
About what it takes to be Pragg, he noted it’s his ability to easily adapt to difficult situations without complaining too much.
Praggnanandhaa with his coach RB Ramesh. (Supplied)
“He is a very good fighter on the board and does not get overwhelmed by opponents’ reputation. He likes to spend more time and find the best possible move while most other juniors I have seen, sometimes they have a tendency to kind of bluff their way out or sometimes going to dubious move over the board,” Ramesh noted.
Praggnanandhaa has faced Carlsen 19 times before the World Cup final clash with the former leading eight to five. Six of these games ended in a draw.
“To play against such players is tough. But I think Pragg will be very eager to play against him. Last year he had beaten him in standard time control but this year Carlsen defeated him. I don’t think Pragg is overwhelmed by Carlsen’s reputation or others of his likes as he knows you have to play against the best players in the world,” a resolute Ramesh explained.
Ramesh, who is the head coach at Carlsen’s Magnus Chess Academy and also has a contract with the Romanian Chess Federation, added: “Pragg will not be thinking to survive Carlsen, as it’s a sure short way to lose. He would try to beat him right.”
After the two games against Carlsen, Ramesh asked his disciple to “sleep and rest well as he has been playing on a regular basis, which is tiresome.”
While Pragg’s matches were being telecast, his mother Nagalaxmi could be seen calmly sitting among the audience. She was all smiles as she stood beside him as her son went past Caruna on the way to the finals.
Praggnanandhaa with his mother Nagalakshmi. (X)
“For every player, it is very important to have people, especially in such crucial tournaments, who you trust and in whose company you feel safe, motivated and not being judged. So is for Pragg, his mom accompanies him and his sister Vaishali during the matches. She also takes along vessels to prepare food for them, which is an advantage,” Ramesh detailed.
Former Chess World Champion Garry Kasparov of Russia took to X to congratulate the chess prodigy and
his mother after the game with Caruana.
“Congrats to @rpragchess —and to his mother. As someone whose proud mama accompanied me to every event, it’s a special kind of support! The Chennai Indian defeated two New York Cowboys! He has been very tenacious in difficult positions,” Kasparov posted.
For Ramesh, Pragg’s father Rameshbabu is the man behind the scenes. “When both Pragg, Vaishali and their mother are travelling, he’s kind of alone at home. That is not easy,” he said.
Pragg’s father told South First earlier that his school Velammal Matriculation School in Chennai supported him and his sister, GM Vaishali, with free education and sponsorships at a time when they were financially struggling.
A banner of chess players of Velammal School. (Supplied)
Velammal Nexus chess coordinator Velavan Subbiah expressed happiness over the school being called a “chess factory” these days.
“It is a proud moment for us and is absolutely correct since we have nurtured so many talents,” he told South First.
About the future plans, Subbiah revealed that Velammal is planning to start a ‘chess school’ in Chennai, where players from different branches can learn and compete.
“We plan to open the chess school next month. First, we will select 20 young players aged 7 to 12. The facility is just a few metres away from our Chennai branch. We also look to rope in talented coaches. Our goal is to help them become titled players in the next three or four years. Taking them overseas for exposure is also on the cards,” Subbiah detailed.
He added: “One of his (Pragg’s) main motivations was when his picture was displayed on the poster in front of the school gates.
The school has also produced likes of other grandmasters with published ratings such as D Gukesh (2751), A Chinthambaram (2645), Srinath Narayanan (2552), Vishnu Prasanna (2441) and others.
