Beaming picture of R Praggnanandhaa's mother Nagalakshmi goes viral; Snapdeal boss Kunal Bahl wants documentary on chess champ

A mother's pride was evident in the way R Nagalakshmi looked at her son Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa.

Standing in a corner of a room with a glint in her eyes and a disarming smile, the proud mother looked at her son as he gave media interviews. The precious picture has become most of the favourite pictures on the Internet and has been doing the rounds on social media.

Praggnanandhaa is enjoying his dream run at the final of the FIDE World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan. He recently became the first Indian, since five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand in 2002, to make it to the final of the FIDE World Cup.


After defeating World No 3 Fabiano Caruana in tiebreaks on Monday, the teen sensation reached the final and will now compete against five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway.

Legendary chess champion Garry Kasparov took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to laud the 18-year-old's feats and his mother's efforts. The former world champion remembered the good old days when his mother used to accompany him to every event.

"Congrats to Praggnanandhaa — and to his mother. As someone whose proud mama accompanied me to every event, it's a special kind of support! The Chennai Indian defeated two New York cowboys! He has been very tenacious in difficult positions," Kasparov tweeted.


Meanwhile, Praggnanandhaa's father Rameshbabu - who is in Chennai at home - said that his mother deserves all credit for his son's success.

"I must credit my wife, who accompanies them to tournaments and is very supportive. She takes great care (of the two)," Rameshbabu told news agency PTI during an interaction at his Chennai residence.



Rameshbabu, who is a bank employee, shared that he never had much idea about chess before he decided that his children, daughter Vaishali and son Praggnanandhaa needed to cut down on watching television.

"We had introduced Vaishali to chess to cut down on her TV viewing habits as a child. As it happened, the two children liked the game and decided to pursue it. We are happy that the two are enjoying playing chess and also doing well thanks to their passion for chess," Rameshbabu was quoted as saying to PTI.

Praggnanandhaa's elder sister is a Woman Grandmaster and one of the most-reputed young players in the international circuit.

"Though I don't know much about the game, I have been following his progress in the tournament keenly. I can't be more proud of Pragg's (he refers to his son) performance I talk to my son and wife regularly," the proud father added.

The chess prodigy and his supportive family have been receiving a lot of praise.

Snapdeal co-founder Kunal Bahl said that he was keen to find out more about Praggnanandhaa's family. He also said he was happy to support anyone willing to make a documentary on the chess champ.

"Every parent and child in India and the world needs to hear his and his family's story," he added.


Praggnanandhaa also found a cheerleader in Biocon Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw.

In a special post, she said she was rooting for the teenager. She wrote, "He's (Praggnanandhaa's) such a great inspiration for India’s youth!"


Naveen Jindal, Chairman of Jindal Steel and Power, also wished the young camp for the World Cup.


From the sports fraternity, legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar assured Praggnanandhaa that India was rooting for him. "You have made history as the youngest World Cup finalist. Your journey has been filled with fierce battles. The chessboard is set, and every move counts. Best of luck, India is with you."


Former cricketer VVS Laxman was also impressed with Praggnanandhaa's entry to the finals. He also mentioned his mother's "incredible support"


Bollywood actors Anupam Kher and Suniel Shetty also hailed Praggnanandhaa.



After gruelling weeks of chess, the battle of 64 squares is set to get intense as Praggnanandhaa gears up to compete with Carlsen.