Praggnanandhaa’s success a new Indian assault at the top of world chess: Viswanathan Anand

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

The chess World Cup final had been decided a couple of hours earlier but the excitement in Viswanathan Anand’s voice was still palpable. It was despite his protégé Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa having lost the final to world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. Anand spoke with BORIA MAJUMDAR about what this achievement means, how it can help Indian chess going forward, and Praggnanandhaa. Excerpts:

Finally, India has someone after you who made it to the World Cup final and created history. This is among the best achievements of Indian chess. And as someone who started it all, you must be proud.
It is a huge achievement.

He’s the first person after me to reach the final of a World Cup. And in the process qualify for the Candidates Tournament. So in a sense, it represents an almost new assault at the top of world chess after my retirement.

That’s what gives me the most satisfaction. You know you are leaving a game that is robust and the future of the sport is in safe hands with this golden generation all doing well.

What also stands out is how this achievement has captured the national imagination. And even after he finished second, he is being celebrated.
It’s also very nice that the timing of this event comes after the last three years of postpandemic healing, when chess boomed in multiple ways.

I won’t repeat everything that I have said before. But you remember The Queen’s Gambit, online entertainment, connectivity apps and all these things which helped in growing the game. Online chess became a phenomenon, and we had a huge number of people playing the sport.