The mom who made the right move: 5 times Chess grandmaster Praggnanandhaa's mom set new milestones

While every eye was glued on Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa's moves in the 2023 FIDE Chess World Cup, it was his mother who made the history happen. R. Nagalakshmi, mom to chess prodigy R. Praggnanandhaa was with him throughout the match. We all noticed the smile of the mother throughout the entire Chess World Cup wishing everything best for her child.

Nagalakshmi says she was not even aware that the picture was clicked. The mom, who the nation is hailing for being the strongest supporter of the world's best chess player, says during that time she was so busy watching her son play she did not pay attention to the picture. "During the quarterfinals of the World Cup (against compatriot Arjun Erigaisi), I was so engrossed in thinking what Praggnanandhaa was up to...that was the only thing which was going on in my mind. Later on, I found those photos had gone viral. I didn't even know they clicked those pictures," she told the media.

Not just her son, Nagalakshmi is a proud mother of Vaishali, who is also a two-time Youth Chess Champion and a Grandmaster. Nagalakshmi accompanies her kids to every tournament. “I must credit my wife, who accompanies them to tournaments and is very supportive. She takes great care (of the two),” the father of the siblings has told the media.

Not just prowess in Chess, Praggnanandhaa has a very simple upbringing and all credit goes to his mother. The siblings have a traditional lifestyle. Reportedly, Praggnanandhaa prays before making his first move. The siblings prefer having homemade food and not junk food. The siblings engage in playing chess for 5-6 hours.

Reportedly, Nagalakshmi carries a pressure cooker with her everywhere so that her son can have rice and rasam always. She carries an induction stove, rice and the rasam masalas to cook her son this wholesome whenever they are outside of the country.