12-year-old Indian 2nd youngest Grandmaster in chess history
Twelve years and ten months old, R Praggnanandhaa made history by becoming the youngest Indian Grandmaster and the second youngest overall by earning his third GM norm during the Gredine Open in Italy. After being paired with Dutch GM Roeland Pruijssers for the final round, Praggnanandhaa was assured of a third norm irrespective of the result of the match.
He is placed joint-top on the table at the end of 8 rounds, with 6.5 points. To become a GM you need to earn three norms and a 2500 rating. He had won his first GM norm at the World Junior Championships in Tarvisio in November 2017. He achieved his second norm by winning the Herkalion Fischer Memorial GM Norm tournament in Greece in April this year.
He missed out on becoming the youngest ever by three months with Sergey Karjakin of Ukraine holding the record of being the youngest Grandmaster in the world at 12 years, 7 months - a feat achieved in 2002. Incidentally, the fourth spot in youngest Grandmasters is also held by an Indian - Parimarjan Negi at 13 years, 4 months and 22 days.
Legendary Viswanathan Anand lauded Praggnanandhaa's feat and picked him out as a bright hope for the future. "What impresses me about Praggnanandhaa is that he's not just a strong player but mixes imaginative middle game play with patient endgame skills and is uncompromising in not settling for easy, quick draws," Anand was quoted as saying by ESPN India. "He's also shown a level of sophistication in handling tournament games. I think he will go far."
Magnus Carlsen became a GM when he was 13 years and 4 months old, while Anand, India's first ever GM, was 18 years old when he earned his third norm.
Youngest Grandmasters in history:
Sergey Karjakin (Ukraine) 12 years, 7 months
R Praggnandhaa (India) 12 years, 10 months
Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan) 13 years, 1 month
Parimarjan Negi (India) 13 years, 4 months
Magnus Carlsen (Norway) 13 years, 4 months
courtesy : ndtv.com
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Abhishek Sharma's massive century guides SRH to 8-wicket win against PBKS
Hyderabad, Apr 12 (PTI): Opener Abhishek Sharma smashed a superb century and shared a 171-run partnership with Travis Head as Sunrisers Hyderabad made a mockery of the massive 245-run chase, registering an eight-wicket win against Punjab Kings here on Saturday.
SRH scored 247 for 2 with nine balls to spare.
Abhishek clobbered 141 off 55 deliveries studded with 14 fours and 10 big hits, while Head made 66 off 37 balls as the duo undid the good work done by Punjab Kings' captain Shreyas Iyer, who hit a 36-ball 82 after electing to bat first.
Abhishek also become the third-highest scorer in IPL history behind Chris Gayle (175 not out) and Brendon McCullum (158 not out).
Earlier, PBKS openers Priyansh Arya (36 off 13 balls) and Prabhsimran Singh (42 off 23) added 66 runs quickly before Iyer carried on the good work along with Nehal Wadhera (27).
Harshal Patel (4/42) emerged as the most successful SRH bowler, while Sri Lankan right-arm quick Eshan Malinga (2/45) took two wickets.
Brief Scores:
Punjab Kings: 245 for 6 in 20 overs (Shreyas Iyer 82, Marcus Stoinis 34 not out, Priyansh Arya 36, Prabhsimran Singh 42; Harshal Patel 4/42, Eshan Malinga 2/45).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 247 for 2 in 18.3 overs (Travis Head 66, Abhishek Sharma 141, Heinrich Klaasen 21 not out).
