Look: Indian chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa trends in UAE; photos with proud mother go viral ahead of final match today

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa is enjoying a dream run at the Fide World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan. The 18-year-old has become the second Indian to make it to the final of the Chess World Cup — the first being five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, who achieved the feat in 2002.

Now, the chess prodigy is all the buzz as he faces legendary five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen at the Chess World Cup, the winner of which will be decided today in the tie-breakers.

In the run-up to the final match today which begins at 3.15 pm UAE time, #Praggnanandhaa has been trending on X (formerly Twitter) in the UAE, with some 24,000 posts using the hashtag. The excitement over the final isn’t the only reason why though. Several heartwarming pictures by chess photographer Maria Emelianova captured the emotions and pride of his mother, Nagalakshmi, and have now gone viral.

In one particular image, Nagalakshmi’s wide eyes and beaming smile as she gazes at her son giving an interview steals the show. The pictures were clicked on August 21, when Praggnanandhaa stunned world No. 3 Fabiano Caruana via the tie-break in the semifinals to set up a summit clash with Carlsen.

In a follow-up post, Nagalakshmi is seen sitting in the corner of a room and wiping tears of joy.

Praggnanandhaa's mother has played a major role in his success. Speaking to the Indian news agency PTI, his father Rameshbabu, who is in Chennai, said that Nagalakshmi deserved all the credit for their son's achievements.

“I must credit my wife, who accompanies them to tournaments and is very supportive. She takes great care [of the two children].” The couple have a daughter named Vaishali, who is a Woman Grandmaster and one of the most reputed chess players in the international circuit.

Meanwhile, legendary chess champion Garry Kasparov, in a tweet, lauded R Praggnanandhaa’s impeccable feat as well as his mother's efforts. Kasparov remembered the days when his mother used to accompany him to every event. “Congrats to R Praggnanandhaa and to his mother. As someone whose proud mama accompanied me to every event, it's a special kind of support! The Chennai Indians defeated two New York Cowboys. He has been very tenacious in difficult positions,” tweeted Garry Kasparov.

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Praggnanandhaa has become the third youngest player after the legendary Bobby Fischer and Carlsen to qualify for the Candidates tournament.

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