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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Sexual Abuse: No sign of Prajwal’s return as deadline set by him ended on Tuesday
Bengaluru (PTI): The seven days’ time sought by Hassan’s NDA Lok Sabha candidate Prajwal Revanna to appear before the Special Investigation Team probing sexual abuse allegations against him ended on Tuesday but there was no sign of his return from abroad.
The 33-year-old JD(S) MP and grandson of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda flew to Germany as soon as news spread that the Karnataka State Commission for Women Nagalakshmi Chowdhary had written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah seeking a probe into the explicit videos of Prajwal allegedly sexually abusing several women.
A lookout notice for Prajwal has been issued at all airports in India, along with a Blue Corner notice.
A Blue Corner notice issued by Interpol helps countries collect and share information regarding a person's location and their activities as part of a criminal investigation.
Former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy claimed on Tuesday that he was not in touch with his nephew Prajwal.
Addressing a press conference, the JD(S) second-in-command said action against those who commit offences should be taken as per law.
Sources in the Special Investigation Team said they received calls on a helpline number on Monday as well as on Tuesday but they declined to share details.
However, Kumaraswamy claimed that no one had called the helpline number till now.
Meanwhile, JD(S) MLA H D Revanna and Prajwal’s father, who is in the custody of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on charges of kidnapping a woman who was allegedly sexually abused by Prajwal, failed to get relief on Tuesday from the Special Court for Elected Representatives here.
The court adjourned the hearing on his bail plea to Wednesday.
The SIT took him to Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital and Victoria Hospital for a medical check-up on Tuesday evening.
Revanna, son of JD(S) patriarch and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, and his confidant Sathish Babanna were booked on Thursday night for allegedly abducting a woman on April 29.
The case was registered on a complaint filed by the woman's son. In his complaint, he accused Revanna's son and JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna of having sexually abused his mother.
The SIT has also secured the custody of Babanna.
The woman was allegedly abducted to prevent her from testifying against Prajwal, police sources said.
