NB In Pics | Praggnanandhaa's mother emotional after son becomes 1st Indian after Viswanathan Anand to enter WC semis

In a historic feat, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa defeated compatriot Arjun Erigaisi 5-4 in a thrilling tiebreak to enter the semi-finals of the ongoing 2023 FIDE Chess World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan.

 

Praggnanandhaa, who turned 18 last Thursday, also became only the second Indian after former world champion Viswanathan Anand in 2002 to enter the final four stage of the Chess World Cup.

 

 

Praggnanandhaa's mother, Nagalakshmi, got emotional as her son achieved this historic victory.

 

While giving an interview after victory, Praggnanandhaa had his mother in tears of joy while standing right beside him as the picture breaks the internet and gets viral on social media.

 

"It's definitely good to have someone here. My mother is always supportive! Even after losing games, she was just trying to calm me down. It's good to have someone rooting for you here, and for me, my mother is a big support - not only for me but for my sister as well, Praggnanandhaa said on having his mother Nagalakshmi watching his games live.

 

 

At the age of 10, he became the youngest Indian at the time to become a Grand Master. At 13, none other than Viswanathan Anand called him the real deal. And now, he has become the first Indian after Anand to reach the final four of the FIDE World Cup.

 

“I was in the restroom and I kind of forgot that I had to run for the game,” said the 18-year-old after the game. It is the same kind of nonchalance with which he has faced the pressures of fame and public expectations since he first captured the public imagination.

 

He will now be up against America's Fabiano Caruana with already a virtual assurance of an entry into 2024 Candidates tournaments. This will make him just the second Indian after Anand to participate in the Candidates.

 

For now, Praggnanandhaa gets a day’s rest before he takes on Caruana in the semifinals.

 

 

Candidates is the World Championship cycle's last competition before the actual World Championship game. The Candidates Tournament winner will face the current world champion in the final match, making it the second-most significant tournament in the World final cycle. Since 2013, the Candidates Tournament has been organised in every two years.