from Hacker News

Indian teen chess grandmaster beats Magnus Carlsen in online rapid tournament

by JonathanBuchh on 2/24/22, 3:54 AM with 124 comments

  • by tibbar on 2/24/22, 4:33 AM

    This was during an online rapid tournament. So still very impressive, but Magnus loses games online all the time and I'm not _quite_ sure why this is news.

    It is interesting which junior players Magnus invited to the tournament, though - besides Praggnanandhaa, there's also Andrey Esipenko, who _did_ beat Magnus in a classical game once at the prestigious Tata Steel Masters 2021, and also Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who beat Magnus late last year en route to becoming the World Rapid Champion at 17 years old. A fun group! With Vincent Keymer in the mix too, you're only really missing Nihal Sarin and (of course) Firouzja for many of the future faces of chess.

    [Edit: the article says that Praggnanandhaa is the youngest player ever to beat Magnus since 2013, which would definitely be newsworthy. I think the article must be leaving out important context, since this tournament is (1) online, (2) speed chess and (3) not FIDE rated, so it typically wouldn't be included in records, and Magnus has almost certainly lost random online games to younger players before. I'm guessing the article is referencing some other source without providing the relevant criteria, which is why it looked a little weird to me.]

  • by birken on 2/24/22, 6:51 AM

    This is noted in another comment, but it should be a top level comment... Magnus actively has COVID and has said that it was affecting his energy levels and ability to calculate during the early rounds of the tournament (during which this game happened).

    And Pragg wasn't even the lowest rated player to beat Magnus this tournament! Eric Hansen, aka popular chess streamer "chessbrah", is even lower rated and also beat Magnus, which again you would not expect if Magnus were playing his usual level.

    So still a great win and great accomplishment for Pragg, but a little context would have been nice in the article.

  • by fahrradflucht on 2/24/22, 5:21 AM

    Even Prags coach pointed out [1], let's not get carried away. This was a great achievement but the pressure this creates can be very bad for him in the longer run.

    [1]: https://mobile.twitter.com/Rameshchess/status/14964993222462...

  • by yesenadam on 2/24/22, 7:46 AM

    Ben Finegold made a video in early 2018 of some of Prag's best games, when he was 12 and already extremely impressive. Enjoy!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loRnvtNLv4w

    p.s. warning for uninitiated: Finegold is equal parts comedy and chess teacher. (I love both parts)

  • by whatshisface on 2/24/22, 4:51 AM

    >What he's saying: When asked on Chess24 he'd celebrate beating Carsen, Praggnanandhaa said: "I think it’s about just going to bed, because I don’t think I will have dinner at 2:30 in the morning."

    I don't comprehend this quote or even the sentence Axios introduced it with. ("asked on Chess24 he'd celebrate"?) What is this saying?

  • by wanderingmind on 2/24/22, 4:50 AM

    Previous posting of agadmator analysis of the game https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30436926

  • by csbartus on 2/24/22, 7:23 AM

    I'm actively following chess. I was confused by the article title since I know Magnus was playing recently with somebody else (Le, Quang Liem) in the quarterfinals of the tournament.

    After reading the article I've got more confused. When this is happened? What tournament? Which game format?

    Finally I've realized this is just another PR stunt / clickbait / classic media article / yellow journalism and I'm just wasting my time.

  • by cute_boi on 2/24/22, 4:51 AM

    Great! Congratulation for achieving a remarkable feat at a young age.

    I do have one general question, not specific to him. I am just asking what other people think about such a situation. Is there a scientific method to verify the age? Because I have seen my friends reducing their age intentionally to take part in international competitions.

    I know there are prodigies, and even if he is not 16 it doesn't matter to me because he beat the world champion. He deserves the accolade :)

  • by benreesman on 2/24/22, 11:47 AM

    Side comment, but IMHO Blitz/fast-format/online is good for the game. Superstars playing it creates interest, and a young up-and-comer scoring one off Magnus creates interest.

    Photogenic, media-savvy folks like Magnus or the Bortez sisters, or plenty of other examples are obviously attracting some views due to celebrity, but more people watching serious chess is just that!

  • by Andrew_nenakhov on 2/24/22, 7:00 AM

    Most top players do beat Carlsen from time to time, especially in blitz/rapid events. Why is this news?

  • by adityasaky on 2/24/22, 6:05 AM

    https://fiftytwo.in/story/madras-check/

    Here’s an essay from last year that talks about him, his sister, and the culture of chess in Chennai.

  • by kklisura on 2/24/22, 8:43 AM

    I remember reading G.H. Hardy's A Mathematician's Apology that mathematics is young man's game. Can same be said for chess? Is chess a young man's game?

  • by sAbakumoff on 2/24/22, 12:28 PM

    In the same tournament, Carlesn also lost to NEPO and ESIPENKO(who is just 2 years older than Praggnanandhaa)

    There is a very simple explanation for that - Magnus has COVID right now.

  • by dane-pgp on 2/24/22, 4:52 AM

    To be fair, Carlsen was beating players much more stronger then him when Praggnanandhaa was... Never mind.

  • by TedShiller on 2/24/22, 5:59 AM

    Rapid tournament, not a big deal.

  • by pknerd on 2/24/22, 11:19 AM

    I am a Pakistani and I do not hesitate to admit that Indians(Hindus specially) have been found quite good at math and chess and now software/IT.

    I am not sure whether there is some research about it why is it like that? some diet/belief or some other matter?

    Happy to learn more about it.

  • by glouwbug on 2/24/22, 5:48 AM

    When I play online chess I load up a master AI and input my opponent's moves

  • by ghufran_syed on 2/24/22, 6:25 AM

    This player is obviously a really good chess player, but I wouldn't get too focused on his exact age - families in India and Pakistan often register their children's age as younger than their true age, for girls because they think it will give them a few more years to find a good "match" for marriage once they are adults, and also sometimes for boys if they are small for their true age, to prevent bullying and help them do better academically. Source: personal family members who have done this - you ask the kids what their date of birth is, they ask "the real one or the paper one"?

    Other sources: https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/age-fraud-i...

    https://thewire.in/sport/why-age-fraud-in-indian-sports-is-s...

    https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-the-ho...