'His mother deserves full credit': Praggnanandhaa's father

The glint in R Nagalakshmirsquos eyes and that disarming smile standing in a corner of a room while watching her son ace the battle of 64 squares has been one of the most photogenic moments of GM R Praggnanandhaarsquos dream run during the ongoing World Cup Chess in BakuPraggnanandhaa 18 who has reached the summit clash featuring legendary fivetime world champion Magnus Carlsen had none other than the iconic Gary Kasparov acknowledging the Indian GMrsquos motherrsquos role which was akin to his own playing daysThe Indian sporting scenario is replete with examples of parents who have had massive influence in shaping their childrenrsquos careersPraggursquos mum R NagalakshmiJust like three and half decades back the photograph of a young Grandmaster named Viswanthan Anand playing chess while seated on a swing with his mother Sushila left a lasting impression the satisfaction that was writ large on Nagalakshmirsquos face after Praggnanandhaa win over Arjun Ergaisi wonrsquot be forgotten in a hurry eitherldquoI must credit my wife who accompanies them to tournaments and is very supportive She takes great care of the twordquo Rameshbabu the proud father saidAlso Read Sleep well tonight coach Ramesh RB to Praggnanandhaa after his entry to the FIDE World Cup FinalA bank employee Rameshbabu never had too much idea about chess before he decided that his children daughter Vaishali and son Praggnanandhaa needs to cut down on watching televisionldquoWe had introduced Vaishali to chess so as to cut down on her TV viewing habits as a child As it happened the two children liked the game and decided to pursue itrdquo Rameshbabu recalled ldquoWe are happy that the two are enjoying playing chess and also doing well thanks to their passion for chessrdquoFor the record Vaishali a WGM is also one of the most reputed young players in the international circuitldquoThough I donrsquot know much about the game I have been following his progress in the tournament keenly I canrsquot be more proud of Praggrsquos thatrsquos how he refers to his son performancerdquo said RameshbabuMeanwhile Praggnanandhaarsquos first coach S Thyagarajan who runs Bloom Chess Academy in the city is overjoyed at the playerrsquos phenomenal riseldquoHe Praggnanandhaa came to me when he was fourandahalf years old and his sister Vaishali was 7 I knew back then that he was a special talent He was very quick to grasp thingsrdquo Thyagarajan saidWorld Cup Chess final Game 1 between Praggnanandhaa and Carlsen ends in drawIndian GM R Praggnanandhaa held his own against World No1 Magnus Carlsen to secure a draw in the first classical game of the final of the FIDE World Cup Chess here on Tuesday Praggnanandhaa 18 held his own against a fancied and higherrated opponent and forced a stalemate in 35 moves playing white pieces In the middle of a major time crunch Praggnanandhaa was able to hold Carlsen for a draw in an objectively equal position with white pieces The Indian played a solid game and agreed to a draw on move 35 ldquoI donrsquot think I was in any trouble at allrdquo Praggnanandhaa said after the gameThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever