IN a rare meeting of stalwarts, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somanath met Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa at his house in Chennai on Monday. In a casual meeting with the wunderkind, the ISRO chief also presented a replica of the GSLV rocket to the world no. 15 chess player.
During Somanath’s visit, Praggnanandhaa showed his prizes to him and expressed his wishes for the success of ISRO scientists and for the future Mission Gaganyaan. Praggnanandhaa’s father Ramesh Babu was also there when Somanath met the chess player in Chennai on Monday.
While speaking with Praggnanandhaa, ISRO chief Somanath said that Pragyan Rover is sleeping now but the chess player should be active to make India proud in the upcoming days. He went on to add that he is very proud of what the chess player has achieved and hoped that he will become the world’s number one chess player soon.
“We are very proud of him for his accomplishments and also for his world ranking, 15 now. I believe in the coming days he will become world number one. He is Praggnan on the ground, and we have Pragyan on the Moon. What we have achieved on the moon, he has done it on land. He will also be working with us in promoting space,” Somanath said.
Following the ISRO chief’s visit, R Praggnanandhaa said that it was a proud moment for him. He added that he got an invitation to visit Sriharikota. “It is a very proud thing that he has visited us. He also invited me to visit Sriharikota where rockets are being launched. We are very proud of what ISRO has achieved,” Praggnanandhaa said.
Chess Prodigy Fell Short
On August 24, World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen defeated grandmaster Praggnanandhaa to clinch the title of the International Chess Federation World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan. He fought hard but fell short with Carlsen summoning all his big match experience when it mattered the most.
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