
CHENNAI: Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, who captured the Tata Steel Masters Chess tournament, was accorded a grand reception upon his arrival at the Chennai airport on Tuesday morning. Praggnanandhaa had defeated world champion D Gukesh in the final that was played on Sunday.
He was greeted by hundreds of fans and officials from the Tamil Nadu government (SDAT) and the national federation were also present during the occasion. The 19-year-old from Chennai surprised one and all by defeating compatriot Gukesh to claim his maiden title.
"I feel very happy to win this tournament and it is very nice to see that two Indians, two Tamil Nadu players played in the tie-break in the end. We both played well. Huge congratulations to him (D Gukesh) as well, he played really well," said Pragg, upon his arrival with his mother, to the media.
"I'm thrilled to have won, especially since it's one of the strongest tournaments in the world. After a disappointing second-half of last year, I've started 2025 on a high note. I worked hard to prepare for this tournament, and it has paid off. This win is crucial, as there are many important chess tournaments lined up this year," he added.
Both Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh finished with 8.5 points after losing their 13th-round games, but Praggnanandhaa showed remarkable mental strength to triumph 2-1 in the tie-breaker during the 87th edition of the prestigious event in Wijk Aan Zee.
Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian after Viswanathan Anand to win the Tata Steel Chess title.
"I was happy with my performance throughout the tournament. The final round was tense, but I'm glad I could hold my nerve"' said Pragg.
"It's a great thing (winning), but I couldn't think about it before the game. I played the classic game for six-and-a-half hours. After that, there was a break for half an hour. So, to mentally prepare for that, I had to take some rest. And then, the next game was coming up. So, I didn't have time to think about anything. To be honest, in blitz, the game turns around immediately. Even in the first blitz game, I was in an equal position. It felt like I was pressing, but I made a one-move blunder. So, this is what happens in blitz games. It was less than 10 seconds for both of us. So, it's common for tables to turn like this. It was a proud moment for India and Tamil Nadu, as both finalists were from our state. Whoever won, the title would have come to us, which is a great feeling," added Pragg, while reflecting on the deciding minutes of the championship.