Tamil Nadu minister awards Praggnanandhaa 500,000 rupees

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay honored Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa in Chennai on Monday, presenting the chess champion with a cash award of 50 lakh rupees for his historic victory at the Norway Chess tournament. The felicitation at the state Secretariat included an impromptu chess game where the 20-year-old prodigy defeated the Chief Minister.

Praggnanandhaa secured the Norway Chess title in Oslo on Saturday, June 6, becoming the first Indian to win the prestigious tournament since its inception in 2013. His final-round victory over Germany's Vincent Keymer capped a remarkable comeback during the elite event. After consecutive losses mid-tournament left him at the bottom of the standings, Praggnanandhaa won his last four classical games to overtake leader Wesley So and claim the championship with 18 points.

His campaign featured significant victories, including two wins over world number one Magnus Carlsen and one over reigning World Champion D. Gukesh. Following the event, Praggnanandhaa described the title as the biggest achievement of his career, emphasizing that defeating some of the world's strongest players made it particularly memorable.