Child prodigy making moves without even looking at the chess board leaves the internet stunned
Child prodigies show signs of greatness not just through their talent but also from the way they handle success at an early age and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa is showing signs that he is a legend in the making. In an interview, the boy was asked a number of chess questions at a fast pace, which he answered one by one with utmost confidence, and surprised the host as well. The part that made the exchange even more special, is that the boy isn't even looking at the chess board for answers. Praggnanandhaa was so fast, that the interviewer had to attach a graphic in the video, to help the audience keep up. It is all from the top of his head, which showcases how one he is with the sport. The interview was recorded three years ago, and since then he has become a bonafide star in the chess world.
As reported by CNN, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa defeated Magnus Carlsen, a world champion considered one of the most dominant players in chess. Praggnanandhaa also signed up for the 2024 Candidates Tournament for a chance to face off against fellow grandmaster and reigning world champion Ding Liren at the World Chess Championship 2024 and earned a victory. Just two years later he clinched the title of a grandmaster, making him the second youngest person at that time to do so. His recent accomplishments have made him the 14th-ranked player in the world, as reported by 365 Chess.
During his much-talked-about interview, the interviewer laid out the conditions on the chessboard to the candidate and Rameshbabu was informed about the different pieces so that he could make a decision accordingly. Thereafter, he started talking about his moves and the graphic also followed the instructions given by Praggnanandhaa, and slowly the whole strategy was demonstrated for the audience. In the end, to everyone's surprise, he emerged on the winning side. The host was surprised and asked him how he developed these "blindfold abilities." The prodigy attributed his miraculous achievement to years of training.
Users in the comment section were awestruck. @PatrickFestaPatman was surprised by what he had seen in the video and wrote, "I now completely lost confidence in my own chess-playing ability. LOL This kid is freaking amazing." @kyle085 was in awe of the boy and commented, "God man, what is this, even blindfolded, he is seeing 10 moves ahead or more. Beast!!"
Despite big wins against formidable opponents, the boy wants to stay level-headed. “Even if I had time, I don’t think I would have celebrated because usually I don’t celebrate things too much because, OK, this is just a win, and it’s just one win, and it’s a rapid game, so there are a lot more things to do and a lot more things to work on,” Praggnanandhaa told CNN. “It’s just one win, so it’s not like the end of something. And I think the same goes for a loss. If you lose a game, it’s not like the end,” he added.