Sudha Murty on Praggnanandhaa playing Chess World Cup final: ‘don’t give tension to the kid’

While millions are praying for Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa’s success in the FIDE World Cup Chess final, author and philanthropist Sudha Murty does not want to put undue pressure on the 18-year-old chess prodigy.

Praggnanandhaa held his own against World No.1 Magnus Carlsen to secure a draw in the first two classical games of the FIDE World Cup Chess final. His powerful performance in the tournament comes at a time when India is already celebrating another success story – becoming the first country ever to execute a soft-landing on the far side of the moon.

A chess prodigy, Praggnanandhaa became a grandmaster at the age of 12, the second-youngest at the time to do so. At the age of 16, he also became the youngest player to defeat then-world champion Magnus Carlsen.

He is currently in Azerbaijan where he will face Carlsen again for two tie-breakers that will be held in the rapid format. But for all his success, Praggnanandhaa is still a high school who turned 18 only a fortnight ago – and Sudha Murty wants him to understand that success and failure are part of the game.