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Check mate! R Praggnanandhaa rockets into chess world’s top 10

After setting a unique record with sister R Vaishali, Praggnanandhaa becomes second Indian in the current top chess rankings

At just 18 years old, Indian chess grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa has taken the chess world by storm. Bringing his best showing at Norway Chess — one of the world’s most coveted tournaments — Praggnanandhaa stunned World No 2 Fabiano Caruana from USA to check his way into the global top 10 rankings, attaining 9th position. With Dommaraju Gukesh at No 7, Praggnanandhaa became the second Indian in the current top 10 in chess rankings. 

Last December when R Vaishali earned her grandmaster title, the siblings set a unique record by becoming the first ever brother-sister pair to hold the title together, while also becoming the first siblings to qualify for the Candidates. Before facing Caruana, Pragg defeated World No 1 Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen in classic chess for the first time, giving him the first ever back-to-back classic chess win over the world top two at the ongoing Norway Chess competition. Head over to instagram and learn more about the sensational sibling duo. 

— Debrup Chaudhuri

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