Anand Mahindra says ‘time to brag’ after R Praggnanandhaa defeats world chess champion Magnus Carlsen

Reactions poured in from various social media platforms after Indian chess grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa defeated Magnus Carlsen, the reigning five-time world chess champion, in the second round of the Superbet rapid and blitz chess tournament. Anand Mahindra also congratulated the chess prodigy for his remarkable win.

Read| Gukesh storms back, Praggnanandhaa moves to joint third; Carlsen takes lead

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the 69-year-old industrialist said that now is the time to “brag about Pragg”.

Here’s what Anand Mahindra posted on X:

After Mahindra lauded the Indian chess prodigy, individuals suggested rewarding him with vehicles from the Mahindra lineup, proposing models like the XUV400 and X700. Many even congratulated Praggnanandhaa on his win. Some even lauded him as a "genius" and a trailblazer who sets exemplary standards in the world of chess.

“I just didn’t have it today. I felt good from the start, but then I think my nervous system just collapsed during or after the game against Pragg, and after that, I just sucked, honestly. The score was still half-decent, but obviously, if Wei Yi continues to win, then it doesn’t matter,” Carlsen told Grandmaster Cristian Chirila on May 11.

Despite this loss, Carlsen went on to win the tournament, while Pragganandhaa finished in fourth position.

In April this year, Praggnanandhaa finished fifth in the 2024 Candidates Tournament, getting 7 points out of 14.

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In 2023, he achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the youngest player to reach the Chess World Cup final. He defeated Fabiano Caruana in tie-breaks in the semi-final to advance. Interestingly, he also became the second Indian player after Viswanathan Anand to reach the final in Chess World Cup history.

This, however, is not the first time Praggnanandhaa has defeated Magnus Carlsen. In April 2022, he defeated Carlsen for the third consecutive time in six months. His third victory was at the FTX Crypto Cup, the American finale of the Champions Chess Tour held in Miami. Anand Mahindra, who was in awe of the 18-year-old chess player, said, “If chess is a Game of Thrones, then there may be a new occupier of the throne soon”.