R Praggnanandhaa receives rousing welcome at Chennai Airport after winning silver medal

India's Chess prodigy, R Praggnanandhaa, who made the entire nation proud with his exploits in the Chess World Cup 2023, has received a grand welcome at the Chennai Airport. Pragg reached the final of the World Cup and thereby qualified for the candidate's tournament that will take place next year. Pragg lost to Magnus Carlsen in the tournament and became the runner-up, but he won the hearts of the Indians throughout the country.

3 things you need to know

• India's R Praggnanandhaa reached the final of the FIDE Chess World Cup 2023
• Pragg emerged as the silver medallist of the tournament
• He defeated top contenders like Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana in the tournament

Also Read: 'We are very proud': Praggnanandhaa's sister Vaishali reacts to Pragg's historic display

Pragg receives a phenomenal welcome

The incredible performance of Praggnandhaa in the Chess World Cup is still echoing as hundreds and thousands came to greet India's hero at Chennai Airport. The citizens gathered to witness the homecoming of the Chess Grand Master, who once again brought India to the forefront of the Chess map. Upon arriving in India, Pragg was asked a barrage of questions by the media present at the Chennai International Airport. In his brief interaction with the media, Pragg mentioned that he "feels really great". He also mentioned, "I think it is good for Chess."

"I am very happy to see so many people coming here and it is good for Chess," says Indian chess grandmaster and 2023 FIDE World Cup runner-up R Praggnanandhaa.#Praggnanandhaa #RPraggnanandhaa #TamilNadu #IndianChessProdigy

WATCH #LIVE here-https://t.co/5C8MAHseYi pic.twitter.com/RYUrsLdFiz

— Republic (@republic) August 30, 2023

Praggnanandhaa's sister, R Vaishali, who also holds International Master and Women Grand Master titles, gave her brother a hearty welcome. As a proud sister, she compared the grand welcome to Pragg to what Viswanathan Anand received when he came back home after winning the World Championship.

#WATCH | Chennai: After being a runner-up in the FIDE World Cup Chess Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa returns home, his sister Vaishali on the grand welcome he received says, "I had witnessed something like this 10 years back, when Viswanathan (Anand) sir had won World Championship… pic.twitter.com/L2VYNq3Tuc

— ANI (@ANI) August 30, 2023

Also Read: Magnus Carlsen's Cheeky Post After Beating Pragg In Chess World Cup Breaks The Internet

Brief about R Praggnanandhaa 

Born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, in 2005, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa was introduced to chess very early in his tender years. After winning many national competitions, he made his maiden mark on the global stage in 2013 when he won the World Youth Chess Championship Under-8. At the age of 10, he became the International Master, the youngest at the time to do so, and at just age 12, he completed his Grand Master norm. In 2016, he became the youngest ever to defeat Magnus Carlsen, a record that was later broken by his countrymate Gukesh. He went on to beat Carlsen 3 times in the FTX Crypto Cup 2022. In 2023, he defeated the current World Champion Ding Liren at the 2023 Tata Steel Chess Masters. The thing that veneered the victory was that it came in the classical category. He is not the only chess prodigy in his family.