"We are elated to see Praggnanandhaa seal his berth for Candidates" - Mother Nagalakshmi
Chess sensation R Praggnanandhaa made history by finishing as the runner-up in the FIDE Chess World Cup at Baku. He also qualified for the Candidates Tournament after his impressive run in the World Cup.
Praggnanandhaa's mother, R Nagalakshmi, said on Friday that she was elated to see her son book a berth in the Candidates Tournament. She also mentioned that the 18-year-old sensation has a long way to go.
Praggnanandhaa was the star of the FIDE Chess World Cup. He became the youngest Indian and only the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to qualify for the final of the World Cup. During his run, he defeated top players, including World Number Two Fabiano Caruana and World Number Three Hikaru Nakamura.
In the final, he met World Number One Magnus Carlsen. Praggnanandhaa pushed Carlsen to the tie-break after securing a draw in the classical round. However, Carlsen defeated the Indian youngster to win the title.
Talking to PTI about her son's performance in the international event, Nagalakshmi said that the family is extremely happy with his performance.
"We are extremely happy that he came this far in the tournament. And more than that, we are elated to see him seal his berth for Candidates," she said.
During the World Cup Quarterfinal, Praggnanandhaa had to come back from behind to defeat his countrymate Arjun Erigaisi. The tensed mother grabbed attention as her pictures from the quarterfinal went viral on social media.
When asked about the picture, Nagalakshmi said that she had no idea about it as she was engrossed in thinking about what Praggnanandhaa was upto.
"I was so engrossed in thinking what Praggnanandhaa was up to...that was the only thing that was going on in my mind. Later on, I found those photos had gone viral. I didn't even know they clicked those pictures," she said.
TN Chief Minister MK Stalin congratulated Praggnanandhaa for his impressive run in the FIDE World Cup
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin congratulated Praggnanandhaa and his family for the youngster's impressive World Cup performance.
"We also got a surprise call from our Chief Minister. It was an overwhelming moment because when he called, it was very late in the night (in India due to the time difference), but he still managed to find time", she said.
Praggnanandhaa will leave for Germany from Baku to participate in the Candidates Tournament and will return to India on August 30.