'Our No. 1 Player...': Nirmala Sitharaman's Shoutout To Chess Wizard Praggnanandhaa In Budget Speech

At the forefront of India's rise in chess has been none other than the prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa who received a mention from the Sitharaman during what was her sixth Budget speech in a row.

Nirmala Sitharaman heaped praise on Indian grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa during her Interim Budget Speech on February 1 (Thursday).

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Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman heaped praise on Indian grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa during her Interim Budget Speech on February 1 (Thursday). Notably, chess as a sport has revived in India with the country's participation in major global events increasing dramatically. Moreover, India have also been getting podium finishes in tournaments of international repute.

At the forefront of India's rise in chess has been none other than the prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa who received a mention from the Sitharaman during what was her sixth Budget speech in a row. The 64-year-old initially lauded the Indian athletics and its growth over the past year by talking about the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games, she then talked about spoke about Praggnanandha's achievement.

"The country received its highest-ever medal tally in the Asian Games and Asian Para Games in 2023," Sitaraman said

"Chess prodigy and our No. 1 ranked player Praggnanandhaa put up a stiff fight against world champion Magnus Carlsen in 2023. Today, India has over 80 chess grandmasters compared to little over 20 in 2010," she added.

2023: A Remarkable Year For Indian Chess

It is pertinent to note that that 2023 was a remarkable year for Indian chess, a year which saw Praggnanandhaa become the youngest-ever World Cup finalist. While India never had a significant representation in the prestigious Candidates tournament but that now seems to be a thing of the past. This will be the first time that siblings Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali will compete in the Candidates tournament from India.

After a stellar 2023 studded with incredible performances, Praggnanandhaa hasn't slowed down a bit and look to continue his form into 2024. The Young GM beat the current and four-time wome's world champions Wenjun Ju from China in the ninth round of the Tata Steel Masters, making the teenaged Indian chess wizard the only player in recent times to get the better of both open and women's world champions.