R. Praggnanandhaa: Youngest player to beat World Champion Magnus Carlsen

almost 3 years ago

16 Years old Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, more commonly known for his nickname of Praggu shocked the chess world by defeating the reigning five-time World Chess Champion, Magnus Carlsen during an online rapid event this week.

The event was Airthing Masters which is a part of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. This tournament consists of 16 elite chess players from around the world. It was an online rapid event where the preliminary round was a round-robin contest and the top 8 would have gone to qualify for the knockout stage.

Praggu had a bad run before coming on to this match. He had one victory, two draws and four defeats before facing the World Champion. And with Black pieces, it looked like a tough job to handle Carlsen who had the momentum with 3 consecutive wins.

The game started with the Tarash variation in Queen's Gambit Declined. Soon the pressure came on Pragg and even lost a pawn. Rooks got exchanged but Black had the compensation in the form of a slightly better king.

lichess_study_day-2-rounds-5-8_magnus-carlsen-praggnanandhaa-r_by_ImaginaryGC_2022.02.20.gif

Gif from https://lichess.org/

Magnus went on to grab another pawn at a7 that looked like a clear 2 pawn advantage but along with a passed 'd-pawn' and the attacking combo of knight and Queen proved to be fatal for Magnus. Magnus blundered with a natural-looking Knight move and after this Black played all the perfect moves and managed to grab bishop for free. Eventually, Magnus resigned and Praggnanadhaa made history by becoming the youngest player to beat Magnus Carlsen.

Many people wrote to congratulate the young talent. The former Indian World Champion Vishwanathan Anand wrote on Twitter:

Always proud of our talents! Very good day for @rpragchess

Famous Indian cricket, Sachin Tendulkar congratulated young Praggu on his victory as he tweeted:

What a wonderful feeling it must be for Pragg. All of 16, and to have beaten the experienced & decorated Magnus Carlsen, and that too while playing black, is magical!

Defeating a World Champion in just 39 moves with black pieces surely is a moment to remember in Pragg's chess career. Let me know what your's thought about this win and on Pragg in general.

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8 comments

@gangstalking -18

almost 3 years ago

The people doing V2K want me to believe it is this lady @battleaxe Investigate what she has been up to for 5 years. Its the next step to stopping this. Make her prove where she has been for 5 years or where she is now. She is involved deeply with @fyrstikken and his group. I cant say she is the one directly doing the v2k. Make her prove it. They have tried to kill me and are still trying to kill me. I bet nobody does anything at all. Make @battleaxe prove it. I bet she wont. They want me to believe the v2k in me is being broadcasted from her location. @battleaxe what is your location? https://ecency.com/fyrstikken/@fairandbalanced/i-am-the-only-motherfucker-on-the-internet-pointing-to-a-direct-source-for-voice-to-skull-electronic-terrorism

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@queenstarr 71

almost 3 years ago

Indeed I bet must be very proud, such memorable achievement. When I finally understand the game of Chess, there will be lunar eclipse 😂
Love this post, celebrating trumps😍💜

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@pravesh0 75

almost 3 years ago

😂😂
Yes, It was a proud moment.
Thanks for ~~reading~~.