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At 16, India’s big chess hope scales first peak, beats his own hero and World No 1 Magnus Carlsen

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At 16, India’s big chess hope scales first peak, beats his own hero and World No 1 Magnus Carlsen

AS WORLD champion Magnus Carlsen sat bemused, palms on his face, after realising that he was going to lose the eighth round of the Airthings Masters online rapid chess tournament, a wave of shock spread across the face of his would-be slayer R Praggnanandhaa. Wide-eyed and unable to fathom what had unrolled on the other side of the screen in Oslo, he covered his mouth with his hands in the 2 am silence of his home in the Chennai suburb of Padi.

Praggnanandhaa was so exhausted by this difficult game of wit that he just wanted to get some sleep. “I just want to knock on the bed,” he told the chess federation’s website, eyes dazed. Most likely he won’t sleep at all.

That was his “can’t believe it” moment, and that moment has always been part of his wildest dreams. World number one Norwegian Carlsen, the undisputed emperor of chess, a real goat, the marketing face of the game, has always been his idol. “It’s my biggest dream to beat him,” he told this newspaper shortly after becoming the world’s second-youngest grandmaster four years ago. “He (Carlson) has solutions to even the most complex problems,” he explained.

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But this time there was no solution, and Praggnanandhaa’s dream finally came true. Being the third Indian to beat Carlsen after Viswanathan Anand and P. Harikrishna underlines his incredible potential. He overturned it in 39 moves and lit up his victory with the black pawn, a clear obstacle in the game.

He was aggressive from the start, putting Carlsen at a disadvantage, but missed a golden opportunity to kill the game in the middle. But he regained his sanity and bounced back, putting relentless pressure on Carlsen, who collapsed and made a mistake.

Perhaps more importantly, India has found Anand’s potential successor and a model for the country’s upcoming chess boom – the Indian Chess League is due to launch in June with prize money of at least Rs 2 crore.

The revival of Praggnanandhaa has also been a timely boost to the game’s popularity in the country. It was also a timely reminder of his talent.

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A near-forgotten figure outside the tight-knit chess world, he narrowly lost in the race against time to become the youngest grandmaster in history, and Sergiy Karjakin kept the record before American prodigy Abhimanyu Mishra claimed his this record. The world often forgets that he was a child, not even a teenager, and expectations are often unrealistic.

But the relative anonymity at the time eased the pressure. “Without unnecessary distractions, he was able to fully focus on his game. He wasn’t obsessed with the record, but he was getting a lot of attention. But after that, he was definitely more relaxed and put in a lot of effort. ,” said his father Ramesh Babu.

Complete News Source : The Indian Express

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Is a Sania Mirza biopic in the works? She reveals: Individuals have been conversing…

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Is a Sania Mirza biopic in the works? She reveals: Individuals have been conversing…

Sania Mirza reflects on the challenges of being famous. She prioritizes her son Izhaan, striving to maintain a balance between work and motherhood.
Sania Mirza has a lot on her plate after being appointed as Dubai’s Sports Ambassador. With a career as prolific as hers, her journey would certainly be inspiring for many people, if made into a film.

But we are yet to see one materialise on Mirza’s life. She says there has been interest showed, “A biopic has been on the cards, a lot of people have been talking about it. But I haven’t had offers of late, unless my managers have not told me about any!”

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While work goes on, with Mirza also managing her tennis academies, it didn’t prevent her from ringing in the New Year with her ‘forever date’, as she captioned her picture with her six-year-old, lovingly called Izzu.

We ask her about life as a single mother. “No matter what I do in my life, my son Izhaan is always going to be my priority. Even amongst my professional commitments, he will remain that. That doesn’t mean I don’t do other things. I try to revolve my stuff around Izhaan as much as I can,” says the 38-year-old, who became a mother in 2018.

“I also try to not leave him too much, at max maybe one-two nights if I have to travel for work. All of it works itself out. I try to find a balance,” she adds. Being a busy public figure also means that she is constantly in the public eye.

Doing and saying the right thing in her life must be a pressure. Does Mirza feel it? “Being famous or not comes with it’s own set of challenges. More than the pressure, I feel a sense of responsibility.

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I feel there are so many kids who look up to you, so you have a certain sense of responsibility about how you conduct yourself. I try to be myself as much as I can in the public eye. I feel humbled and honoured to be in this position. I speak from my heart,” she quips.

Sania Mirza, the tennis icon and former World No. 1 doubles player, has recently revealed that conversations are underway for a potential biopic about her life. In an exclusive interview, Sania opened up about how she has been approached by individuals.

interested in bringing her inspiring journey to the big screen. “Individuals have been conversing, and it’s something that could definitely happen in the future,” she shared. While she didn’t provide specifics, the possibility of a Sania Mirza biopic has excited her fans, who have long admired her achievements on and off the court.

Sania’s remarkable career includes six Grand Slam titles, a career-high doubles ranking, and her pioneering efforts to break stereotypes in the world of sports. Beyond her athletic prowess.

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she has been a vocal advocate for women’s empowerment, making to make her story even more compelling. From her struggles and sacrifices to her triumphs and resilience, a biopic would surely highlight the journey of a woman who has defied the odds and become a trailblazer in the world of tennis.

The conversation around a biopic is not surprising, as there has been increasing interest in telling the stories of influential sports figures, especially women, whose contributions have often been underappreciated. With a potential biopic on the horizon, Sania could inspire yet another generation of young athletes, especially girls, to pursue their dreams relentlessly.

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