Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday felicitated chess Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa with a cheque of ₹50 lakh from the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT), days after the 20-year-old became the first Indian to win the prestigious Norway Chess title. Superstar actor-turned-politician Vijay also played a game of chess with Praggnanandhaa, and lost.
"I was asked to bring a chessboard, and I played a game with the chief minister. I never expected that he would actually play chess with me. We played for about 15 minutes, and I won the game. He was very supportive and encouraging," Praggnanandhaa told reporters, according to ANI.
Vijay, who became CM last month after a blockbuster debut as a politician, handed over the cheque and a memento as a token of appreciation on behalf of SDAT. Minister for public works and sports development Aadhav Arjuna, SDAT member-secretary J Meghanatha Reddy, and the player's parents were among those present, the report said.
Vijay had earlier congratulated Praggnanandhaa in an X post, describing the win as a moment of pride for Tamil Nadu and the nation. He noted the player's feat of defeating Carlsen twice and registering four straight wins in a single campaign.
Praggnanandhaa clinched the Norway Chess 2026 title in Oslo on June 5, winning the 14th edition of the elite tournament. He finished on 18 points after a final-round classical victory over Germany's Vincent Keymer, overtaking American Wesley So, who ended second on 17 points. Alireza Firouzja was third on 15.5 points.
The win capped one of the most dramatic comebacks in the tournament's history. Praggnanandhaa was at the bottom of the six-player table after round six before winning four consecutive classical games to finish.
The closing run included two victories over World No 1 Magnus Carlsen and a win over reigning world champion and fellow Indian D Gukesh.
Norway Chess, contested under a format in which drawn classical games are settled by an Armageddon tiebreak, is regarded as among the strongest closed events in the sport. No Indian had won it before.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated Praggnanandhaa in a post on X on June 6. "This is indeed an incredible milestone that highlights his continued excellence. My best wishes to him for his future endeavours," he wrote.
Vice President CP Radhakrishnan also congratulated the player, noting he is the first Indian to achieve the feat.
Praggnanandhaa, born in Chennai in August 2005, earned the Grandmaster title in 2018. He was runner-up at the 2023 Chess World Cup, part of the gold-winning Indian team at the 2024 Chess Olympiad, and won the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in 2025.
Three of the four Indian players in the world's chess top 10 are from Tamil Nadu, where Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa are both backed under the state's Elite Scheme for sportspersons.
Curated by Aisha Patel
