Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa Beats World Champion Ding Liren

Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, a young chess player from Chennai, has achieved a significant milestone in his career. He has now become the top-ranked chess player in India, surpassing the renowned five-time World Champion, Viswanathan Anand. 

This remarkable achievement came after Praggnanandhaa won against Ding Liren, the current world champion from China, in the Tata Steel Masters tournament.

In August 2023, R Praggnanandhaa made headlines by competing closely with Magnus Carlsen, another world chess champion, at the World Cup final. 

Now, at just 18 years old, he has shown his exceptional talent again by winning against Ding Liren. This victory is not just a personal triumph for Praggnanandhaa, but it also brings great pride to India in the world of chess.

Anish Giri from the Netherlands is currently leading the Masters Group of the tournament. Meanwhile, Gautam Adani, the chairman of the Adani Group, has praised Praggnanandhaa’s accomplishment. 

Earlier this month, the Adani Group began supporting Praggnanandhaa, helping to boost his career. This support aims to aid sportspeople in India to achieve international success.

Praggnanandhaa has expressed his gratitude to the Adani Group for believing in his capabilities. He is determined to win more honors for India. 

In 2023, he became the world’s youngest chess player to reach the World Cup final, a title previously held by Viswanathan Anand. 

He also drew attention in 2022 by defeating Magnus Carlsen multiple times and securing a silver medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

In the 2024 Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Praggnanandhaa has now surpassed Anand’s rating, achieving a rating of 2748.3, while Anand is at 2748. Praggnanandhaa described his recent game against Ding Liren as unusual but manageable, even after gaining an advantage.

Moreover, in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Anish Giri is leading the Masters group, followed by Alireza Firouzja. 

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Praggnanandhaa has thanked the government for its support and expressed happiness about the growing popularity of chess in India. He also acknowledged his family as his main support system, attributing his success to their efforts.