Sachin Tendulkar salutes Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa
'All of 16, and to have beaten the experienced & decorated Magnus Carlsen, and that too while playing black, is magical.'
Teenaged Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, who stunned Magnus Carlsen in the eighth round of the Airthings Masters online rapid chess tournament, was 'delighted', yet modest in his moment of triumph, saying he just wanted to enjoy playing against the world No. 1.
The 16-year-old prodigy was hailed by many on social media, including legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar and All-India Chess Federation president Sanjay Kapoor, after he followed five-time former World champion Viswanathan Anand and P Harikrishna in getting the better of the 31-year-old reigning World champion.
Praggnanandhaa won with black pieces in 39 moves in a Tarrasch variation game early on Monday to halt the Norwegian superstar's run of three straight victories.
"I am delighted to have beaten Carlsen. It will give me a lot of confidence for the rest of the tournament and future also," he said over phone, insisting he is not celebrating but focussing on the rest of the tournament.
"I have to focus on the upcoming matches. After the match I just wanted to rest," he said, adding there was no specific plan against the best chess player on the planet.
"No special plan or preparation for the Carlsen match. I just wanted to enjoy playing against him and not put too much pressure on myself (of taking on the world champion)," Praggu, as he is affectionately called by friends and coach R B Ramesh, said.
Tendulkar said Praggnanandhaa has made India proud and wished him a "successful" chess career ahead. "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," Tendulkar tweeted.
His coach, meanwhile, said, he was overjoyed with his ward's triumph over the best player in the world.
"It is a great feeling. I am very proud of his achievement. This should do a world of good to his self-belief," Ramesh said.
The Indian Grandmaster in joint-12th after eight rounds, with eight points.
His spectacular win over Carlsen comes after a moderate run in the earlier rounds, which included a solitary victory over top-10 player Levon Aronian, two draws and four defeats.
He drew against Anish Giri and Quang Liem Le and lost to Eric Hansen, Ding Liren, Jan-Kryzstof Duda and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov.
Sanjay Kapoor hailed the young GM. "16 yrs old India #Chess prodigy, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa has humbled none other than the World Chess Champion, @MagnusCarlsen. Wow! This young boy deserves a huge applause for his remarkable feat," he tweeted.
Praggnanandhaa is the fifth youngest person ever to become a Grandmaster.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also congratulated the young star.
"Congratulate young Indian Grandmaster R #Praggnanandhaa on his stunning victory over reigning World Champion GM #MagnusCarlsen during ongoing #AirthingsMasters Chess Tournament. Wish him all the best for the future," he tweeted.
Praggnanandhaa will play four rounds later on Monday night, up against Nodirbek Abusattorov, Andrey Esipenko, Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi and Alexandra Kosteniuk.
Nepomniachtchi, who lost the World Championship match a few months ago to Carlsen, tops the standings with 19 points followed by Ding Liren and Hansen (both on 15 points).
In the Airthings Masters, a 16-player online rapid tournament, a player gets three points for a win and one for a draw in the preliminary rounds. Seven more rounds remain in the preliminary phase.
