Image Source: Agencies

For someone who only took up chess because his parents wanted him and his sister to wean themselves off watching TV, R Praggnanandhaa has forged his own path to stardom and is closer than ever.

The 18-year-old prodigy has long been tipped as a possible successor to five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand and is certainly on his way to chess greatness.


A stunning performance at the FIDE World Championships in Baku led him to the Candidates Tournament, where he will challenge reigning World Champion Ding Liren.

The teenager from Chennai showed that he will become the only Indian player after Anand to book a place in the ranks of the contenders.