'Had very special visitors': PM Modi meets chess grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, his parents

Although he was defeated by the reigning World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in the final of the competition, his impressive journey in the competition earned him a lot of praise.

PM Modi praised the young chess grandmaster multiple times on social media during his time in the tournament and he met both Praggnanandhaa and his parents on Thursday.

"It was a great honour to meet Hon'ble Prime Minister @narendramodi at his residence! Thank you sir for all the words of encouragement to me and my parents," Praggnanandhaa posted on X (formerly called Twitter).

In response, PM Modi wrote: "Had very special visitors at 7, LKM today.  Delighted to meet you, @rpragchess along with your family. You personify passion and perseverance. Your example shows how India's youth can conquer any domain. Proud of you!”

Meanwhile, the Mahindra Group decided to gift Praggnanandhaa an all-electric SUV, to honour his accomplishments in chess. Anand Mahindra himself floated the idea on 'X' (formerly Twitter).

"Appreciate your sentiment, Krishlay, & many, like you, have been urging me to gift a Thar to @rpragchess But I have another idea ... I would like to encourage parents to introduce their children to Chess & support them as they pursue this cerebral game (despite the surge in popularity of video games!). It's an investment in a better future for our planet, just like EVs. And so, I think we should gift an XUV4OO EV to the PARENTS of @rpragchess Shrimati Nagalakshmi & Shri Rameshbabu, who deserve our gratitude for nurturing their son's passion & for giving him their untiring support. What do you think, @rajesh664?," Anand Mahindra wrote