R Praggnanandhaa, the chess prodigy who won the silver medal at the FIDE World Cup 2023, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence on Thursday, August 31, along with his parents. The 18-year-old surpassed all expectations when he earned a silver medal in the recently held Chess World Cup. Although he lost to Magnus Carlsen in the summit clash, the entire nation and the world were in awe of the youngster.
Praggnanandhaa, who hails from Chennai, became the youngest Indian to reach the final of the Chess World Cup. He also became the third youngest player to qualify for the Candidates Tournament after Carlsen and Bobby Fischer. The prodigy beat World No. 3 Fabio Caruana and World No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura on his way to the final.
The young grandmaster expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister for the meeting and said he was honoured by his words of encouragement. He posted a picture of himself with Modi on X (formerly called Twitter), saying: "It was a great honour to meet Hon'ble Prime Minister @narendramodi at his residence! Thank you sir for all the words of encouragement to me and my parents".
Modi replied to the chess player’s post and praised Praggnanandhaa for his passion and perseverance. He wrote: "Had very special visitors at 7, LKM today. Delighted to meet you, @rpragchess along with your family. You personify passion and perseverance. Your example shows how India's youth can conquer any domain. Proud of you!".
Praggnanandhaa and his family have been showered with congratulatory messages from many famous people, like industrialist Anand Anand Mahindra, Chess legend Vishwanathan Anand, and many more. His parents, Nagalakshmi and Rameshbabu, who have supported him throughout his chess journey, were also gifted an all-electric SUV by the Mahindra Group.
