Vijay honours R Praggnanandhaa with a £43,000 reward before losing a 15-minute chess challenge

Highlights

• Tamil Nadu chief minister Vijay felicitated Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa after his Norway Chess triumph
• The chess prodigy received a cash reward of around £43,000 from the state government
• Vijay surprised Praggnanandhaa by inviting him to a game of chess
• The Grandmaster defeated the chief minister in a match that lasted around 15 minutes

A surprise chess match at the Secretariat

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay added a personal touch to his felicitation of Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa by sitting down for a game of chess with the young champion, only to be defeated within 15 minutes.

The meeting took place at the Tamil Nadu Secretariat in Chennai, where Vijay honoured the 20-year-old with a cash reward of approximately £43,000 on behalf of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu.

Speaking to ANI after the event, Praggnanandhaa revealed that he had been asked to bring a chessboard and was pleasantly surprised when the chief minister decided to play against him.

"I never expected that he would actually play chess with me," the Grandmaster said, adding that Vijay was supportive and encouraging throughout the game.

Reward for a historic achievement

The honour came days after Praggnanandhaa created history by becoming the first Indian player to win the prestigious Norway Chess tournament.

The Chennai-born Grandmaster secured the title after defeating Germany's Vincent Keymer in the tenth and final round in Oslo.

His victory came against one of the strongest fields in world chess, featuring world number one Magnus Carlsen, reigning world champion D Gukesh, Alireza Firouzja, Wesley So and Keymer.

In a statement shared on social media, the Chief Minister's Office said Vijay presented the cash award to recognise Praggnanandhaa's achievement and his historic success at Norway Chess 2026.

A champion's rise continues

Praggnanandhaa's latest triumph further strengthens his reputation as one of India's brightest sporting talents.

Already regarded as one of the leading figures of a new generation of Indian chess players, the Grandmaster has continued to impress on the global stage with victories against some of the game's biggest names.

His Norway Chess title is considered one of the most significant achievements of his career so far, placing him ahead of some of the world's highest-ranked players and adding another landmark moment to Indian chess.

The Chennai ceremony celebrated not only a major international victory but also a rare opportunity for the state's chief minister to test his skills against the country's newest chess champion, with Praggnanandhaa emerging victorious.