Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman praises chess star R Praggnanandhaa in her interim Budget speech

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman mentioned prodigious chess player R Praggnanandhaa on Thursday during her interim Budget speech in Parliament. She gave him credit for fighting hard against Norway's Magnus Carlsen, the reigning world champion, in the Chess World Cup final the previous year.

In the Lok Sabha, Nirmala Sitharaman presented the interim Budget 2024–25. She stated that India now has over 80 chess grandmasters, up from just over 20 in 2010. She mentioned the athletes' incredible performances at the Asian Games and Asian Para Games in 2023 when she said that India was reaching new heights in sports.

 She said,"The country received its highest-ever medal tally in the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games in 2023. Chess prodigy and our No. 1 ranked player Praggnanandhaa put up a stiff fight against world champion Magnus Carlsen in 2023. Today, India has over 80 chess grandmasters compared to little over 20 in 2010."

Magnus Carlsen defeated R Praggnanandhaa in the tiebreakers of the final in Baku, Azerbaijan, in August of last year to win his first Chess World Cup title. Magnus Carlsen, 32, added the final piece to his elaborate trophy cabinet with his first World Cup victory.

The 18-year-old from Chennai, Praggnanandhaa, became just the second Indian to secure a spot in the Candidates Tournament after earning a silver medal at the Chess World Cup.