Indian chess sensation scripts history in the Netherlands

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NEW DELHI, Jan 17, (Agencies): India’s Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa continued his remarkable journey, setting new records as the chess prodigy secured the No. 1 spot among Indian players for the first time in his career.

The young man achieved this feat on January 16 at the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, where the 18-year-old defeated reigning world champion Ding Liren.

In this breakthrough moment, Praggnanandhaa surpassed his idol, Viswanathan Anand, in the live classical chess rankings, claiming the 11th position overall with 2748.3 rating points — 0.3 points ahead of Anand.

Praggnanandhaa’s ascent in the prestigious tournament’s fourth round marked a sensational win, making him only the second Indian, following in the footsteps of Viswanathan Anand, to conquer a reigning world champion in classical chess.

Playing with the black pieces, Praggnanandhaa established and maintained an advantage early on against Ding Liren. This victory, his first in four rounds after three initial draws, showcased his prowess and drew comparisons to Viswanathan Anand, a five-time World Chess Champion and the first Indian grandmaster.

The climb to become the top-ranked Indian player follows Praggnanandhaa’s standout performance in the 2023 FIDE World Cup, where he emerged as the runner-up.

Despite losing to the legendary Magnus Carlsen in the final, Praggnanandhaa captured global attention with his remarkable achievements in Baku.

He became only the second Indian, after the iconic Viswanathan Anand, to reach the Chess World Cup final, achieving landmark victories over players like Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana.

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