A photograph of Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa’s mother smiling proudly after her son secured a place for himself in the semifinals of the FIDE World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, became one of the most memorable pictures from the chess tournament. Since the photograph was taken a few days ago, 18-year-old Praggnanandhaa has reached the final of the world cup to go up against legendary five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen.
It is a commendable journey for a chess prodigy whose parents introduced him and his sister to chess so they would cut down on watching television. Credit for Praggnanandhaa’s success goes to his mother Nagalakshmi, who takes him to his classes, ensures their home is conducive to practice and accompanies him to tournaments abroad. Nagalakshmi even carries an induction stove and rice cooker when travelling for tournaments so Praggnanandhaa can have home-cooked food even when thousands of miles away from home.
“I must credit my wife, who accompanies them to tournaments and is very supportive. She takes great care (of the two),” Rameshbabu, Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali’s proud father, told PTI during an interaction from his Chennai residence.
“We had introduced Vaishali to chess so as to cut down on her TV viewing habits as a child. As it happened, the two children liked the game and decided to pursue it," Rameshbabu recalled. "We are happy that the two are enjoying playing chess and also doing well thanks to their passion for chess.” For the record, Vaishali, a WGM is also one of the most reputed young players in the international circuit.
Rameshbabu confirmed that Praggnanandhaa likes home-cooked meals when travelling abroad, so his mother packs an induction stove, rice and masalas. This time too, the first things Nagalakshmi packed in her luggage were a rice cooker and masalas so the chess Grandmaster could have rasam and rice in Azerbaijan.
Nagalakshmi also ensures the environment at home is conducive to chess practice. In earlier interviews, she has said that guests at their Chennai home are sometimes greeted in the car park or foyer if the children are in the middle of an intense chess session. The television is rarely switched on, except for a few minutes during dinner.
Her hand in Praggnanandhaa’s success was acknowledged by none other than the iconic Garry Kasparov, who tweeted: “Congrats to @rpragchess —and to his mother. As someone whose proud mama accompanied me to every event, it's a special kind of support! The Chennai Indian defeated two New York cowboys! He has been very tenacious in difficult positions.”
(With inputs from PTI)
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