On Thursday, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman expressed pride in the achievements of Indian youth in sports, highlighting the commendable performance of India's top-ranked chess player R Praggnanandhaa against World Champion Magnus Carlsen in 2023. While presenting the interim budget in Parliament, Sitharaman pointed out that India now boasts over 80 chess grandmasters, a significant increase from around 20 in 2010.
"The country is proud of our youth scaling new heights in sports. The highest ever medal tally in Asian Games and Asian Para Games in 2023 reflects a high confidence level," she said.
"Chess prodigy and our number-one ranked player Praggnanandhaa put up a stiff fight against the reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsson in 2023. Today, India has over 80 chess grandmasters compared to little over 20 in 2010," she added.
Last month, the 18-year-old Praggnanandhaa triumphed over China's Liren while playing with the black pieces at the 2024 Tata Steel Chess Tournament. This victory propelled him past the legendary Viswanathan Anand, making him the top-ranked chess player in India.
Having started playing chess at just 5 years old, Praggnanandhaa rapidly progressed in the sport. He achieved the milestone of becoming India's youngest and, at the time, the world's second-youngest Grandmaster at the age of 12 in 2018.
Praggnanandhaa ranks as the fifth youngest person globally to earn the Grandmaster title, following Abhimanyu Mishra, Sergey Karjakin, Gukesh D, and Javokhir Sindarov. Notably, his elder sister, R Vaishali, is also a Grandmaster, making them the first-ever brother-sister Grandmaster duo in the world.
Praggnanandhaa's remarkable run as the runner-up in the 2023 FIDE World Cup significantly boosted his player rankings. Despite not clinching the title, his skills and performance left a lasting impression.
Last year, India achieved unprecedented success in both the Asian and Asian Para Games, setting new records. At the Asian Para Games, Indian athletes secured a historic 111 medals, surpassing their previous best of 72 medals at the 2018 event in Indonesia. India finished fifth in the overall medal standings at this multi-sport event for para-athletes. In the Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China, India concluded their campaign with an all-time high of 107 medals, including 28 gold, 38 silver, and 41 bronze.
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