R Nagalakshmi, mother of teen chess sensation R. Praggnanandhaa, said on Friday that she was elated to see her son seal a berth in the Candidates Tournament, adding the 18-year-old has a "long way to go" in the sport.

The Candidates is the final contest to determine the challenger who will take on the incumbent world champion.

Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa's dream run in the Fide World Cup in Baku ended with a loss in the final to world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen.

Praggnanandhaa became only the second player from the country after Viswanathan Anand — and the youngest — to play in the Fide World Cup final.

Nagalakshmi, who has played a huge role in her son's success by ensuring a conducive environment for him to train and also accompanying him to almost all the national and international events, said: "We are extremely happy that he came this far in the tournament. And more than that, we are elated to see him seal his berth for Candidates."

She also said that Praggnanandhaa would be leaving for Germany from Baku, Azerbaijan, and will return to India on August 30.

Nagalakshmi's images were widely shared on social media following her son's success, but she said she was so engrossed watching Praggu play that she didn't notice she was also becoming the focus of attention.

"During the quarter finals of the World Cup (against compatriot Arjun Erigaisi), I was so engrossed in thinking what Praggnanandhaa was up to... that was the only thing which was going on in my mind. Later on, I found those photos had gone viral. I didn't even know they clicked those pictures," said Nagalakshmi.

Nagalakshmi said that the family was "overwhelmed" after receiving a call from Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin.

"We also got a surprise call from our chief minister. It was an overwhelming moment because when he called, it was very late in the night, but he still managed to find time to wish Pragg. I also spoke to him and it was good to hear even he was following the game from Chennai," she said.

With inputs from PTI