India's 16-year-old GM Praggnanandhaa stuns world No.1 Carlsen; says was just enjoying myself
'You've made India proud', Sachin Tendulkar congratulates Praggnanandhaa on beating Magnus Carlsen
Chennai, Feb 21: Teenaged Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa stunned world no.1 Magnus Carlsen in the eighth round of the Airthings Masters online rapid chess tournament, becoming only the third from the country to clinch a victory over the Norwegian superstar.
The 16-year old prodigy was hailed by many on the social media, including cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and All-India Chess Federation president Sanjay Kapoor, after he followed five-time former world champion Viswanathan Anand and P Harikrishna in getting the better of Carlsen, the 31-year-old who is also the reigning world champion.
Praggnanandhaa won with black pieces in 39 moves in a Tarrasch variation game early on Monday to halt Carlsen's run of three straight wins.
"I am delighted to have beaten Carlsen. It will give me a lot of confidence for the rest of the tournament and future also," he told PTI over phone.
For someone, who brought down the best chess player on the planet, Praggnanandhaa was not celebrating big just yet and said he wanted to stay focussed on the rest of the tournament.
"I have to focus on the upcoming matches. After the match I just wanted to rest," he said with a smile.
The teenaged GM also said there was no specific plan for the match against the Norwegian.
"No special plan or preparation for the Carlsen match. I just wanted to enjoy playing against him and not put too much pressure on myself (of taking on the world champion)," Praggu, as he is affectionately called by friends and coach R B Ramesh, said.
His coach, meanwhile, said, he was overjoyed with his ward's triumph over the best player in the world.
"It is a great feeling. I am very proud of his achievement. This should do a world of good to his self-belief," Ramesh said.
The Indian GM lies in joint 12th spot after eight rounds with eight points.
"Always proud of our talents! Very good day for @rpragchess," tweeted Anand, who has eight victories over Carlsen to his credit.
His spectacular win over Carlsen comes after a moderate run in the earlier rounds, which included a solitary victory over top-10 player Levon Aronian, two draws and four defeats.
He drew against Anish Giri and Quang Liem Le and lost to Eric Hansen, Ding Liren, Jan-Kryzstof Duda and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov.
What a wonderful feeling it must be for Pragg. All of 16, and to have beaten the experienced & decorated Magnus Carlsen, and that too while playing black, is magical! Best wishes on a long & successful chess career ahead. You've made India proud!" Tendulkar tweeted.
Sanjay Kapoor hailed the young GM and tweeted : "16 yrs old India #Chess prodigy, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa has humbled none other than the World Chess Champion, @MagnusCarlsen. Wow! This young boy deserves a huge applause for his remarkable feat."
Praggnanandhaa is the fifth youngest person ever to become a GM.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also congratulated the young star.
"Congratulate young Indian Grandmaster R #Praggnanandhaa on his stunning victory over reigning World Champion GM #MagnusCarlsen during ongoing
#AirthingsMasters Chess Tournament. Wish him all the best for the future," he tweeted.
Praggnanandhaa will play four rounds later on Monday night and will be up against Nodirbek Abusattorov, Andrey Esipenko, Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi and Alexandra Kosteniuk.
Nepomniachtchi, who lost the world championship match a few months ago to Carlsen, is on top of the standings with 19 points followed by Ding Liren and Hansen (both on 15 points).
In the Airthings Masters, a 16-player online rapid tournament, a player gets three points for a win and one for a draw in the preliminary rounds. Seven more rounds remain in the preliminary phase.
What a wonderful feeling it must be for Pragg. All of 16, and to have beaten the experienced & decorated Magnus Carlsen, and that too while playing black, is magical!
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) February 21, 2022
Best wishes on a long & successful chess career ahead. You’ve made India proud! pic.twitter.com/hTQiwznJvX
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Train to Kashmir: 22-bogie train's trial run successful on Katra-Srinagar line
Jammu: A 22-bogie train chugged between Katra and Srinagar railway stations on Sunday, officials said, marking the first successful trial run on the newly completed line to connect Kashmir with the rest of the country via rail.
The train, comprising 18 AC coaches, two luggage carriers and two engines, left the Katra railway station at around 8 am, successfully reaching its destination within four hours under the watchful eyes of the railway authorities, the officials said.
This was the first trial run between Katra and Srinagar, and came within six days after the Commissioner of Railway Safety (Northern Circle) Dinesh Chand Deshwal authorised the opening of the newly constructed Broad Gauge line.
He had given the authorisation for the start of public carriage of goods and passenger traffic in a seven-page letter to the ministry and railway authorities, based on his detailed inspection of the track on January 7 and 8.
The CRS referred to his inspection of the newly constructed BG line between the Katra and Reasi section by a motor trolley and on foot, followed by a speed trial on the entire section from Katra to Banihal.
He had then authorised regular opening of the section for passengers and freight traffic at a maximum permissible speed of 85 Kmph on the main line and 15 Kmph on turnout.
The work on the dream project to link Kashmir by train was started in 1997 and it missed several deadlines given geological, topographical and meteorological challenges.
Out of the total 272 km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, 209 km was commissioned in phases with the first phase of the 118 km Qazigund-Baramulla section commissioned in October 2009, followed by 18 km Banihal-Qazigund in June 2013, 25 km Udhampur-Katra in July 2014 and 48.1 km long Banihal-Sangaldan stretch in February, last year.
The work on the 46-km Sangaldan-Reasi section was also completed in June last year, leaving a total of 17 km stretch between Reasi and Katra. And this section was finally completed in December 2024 as announced by the Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
On January 4, a successful trial run of an electric train was successfully conducted on the Katra-Banihal section. The railways has conducted six trials over the past month on various segments of the track, including the two major milestones of the Anji Khad and Chenab bridges.
Katra-Srinagar Rail Link: First 18-Coach Train Completes Trial Run Successfully pic.twitter.com/p68axcUClX
— Daily Excelsior (@DailyExcelsior1) January 19, 2025
