Pride of Tamil Nadu: GM beats CM on chess board at Secretariat

CHENNAI: Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa called on Chief Minister C Jospeh Vijay at the Secretariat on Monday following his victory in the prestigious Norway Chess tournament.

Congratulating the young chess star on his achievement, the Chief Minister praised Praggnanandhaa for bringing laurels to Tamil Nadu and India on the international stage.

During the meeting, Vijay and Praggnanandhaa played a friendly game of chess at the Secretariat, and predictably, the grandmaster emerged victorious, drawing appreciation from officials present at the Chief Minister's Office.

Praggnanandhaa recently won the Norway Chess title, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the international chess calendar.

In recognition of his achievement, the Chief Minister presented a cash incentive of Rs 50 lakh to the grandmaster and wished him success in future tournaments.

The State government also announced that Praggnanandhaa would continue to receive an annual assistance of Rs 30 lakh under the Elite Chess Players Special Education Programme (ELITE), aimed at supporting top-performing chess players from Tamil Nadu.

Public Works and Sports Development minister Aadhav Arjuna and member secretary of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu J Meganatha Reddy were present at the felicitation ceremony.