Despite his defeat in the final of the 2023 Chess World Cup to world no 1 Magnus Carlsen on Thursday, Indian chess prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa has etched his name in the pages of Indian chess history. He has become the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to enter the Chess World Cup final. Praggnanandhaa beat higher-ranked opponents - world no 2 Hikaru Nakamura and no 3 Fabiano Caruana to play Carlsen. The silver medal win has sealed a spot for the 18-year-old at the prestigious FIDE Candidates tournament.
Though Praggnanandhaa suffered a setback at the hands of Carlsen, he has been receiving messages of encouragement from people on the internet. Business tycoon Anand Mahindra also took the microblogging site X (formerly Twitter) to share a word of appreciation for the chess prodigy.
"You aren’t the ‘runner-up’ @rpragchess. This is simply your ‘run-up’ to Gold and to greatness. Many battles require you to learn & live to fight another day. You’ve learned & you will fight again; and we will all be there againâ€æcheering you on loudly," Mahindra wrote in his appreciation of Praggnanandhaa.
Since being shared, the post has garnered over 4 lakh views, 15.1k likes and tons of comments.
"Well played champ Pragg. You made every Indian proud by reaching Final of #ChessWorldCup. Best of luck for future, you are star of new India. Next Move: Roar Back Stronger!," commented one user on the post.
"@rpragchess You are an inspiration to us all! You have shown us that no matter how many times you fall, you can always get back up and keep fighting. We are all here to cheer you on and support you in your journey. #praggnanandha," wrote another user.
"Hats off, Praggnanandhaa! Winning second place at the 2023 FIDE World Cup is just the beginning. Your humble attitude and amazing skills inspire us all. Keep rocking the chessboard! Nation is proud," commented a third.