Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay felicitates the chess Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa, in Chennai on Monday, June 8, 2026. | Photo Credit: ANI

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday honoured Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa with Rs 50 lakh, and tried his hand at a game with the 20-year-old city player at the Secretariat here, only to be checkmated by the youngster.

The chief minister felicitated Praggnanandhaa, who became the first Indian to win the prestigious Norway Chess title with a final round victory over Germany's Vincent Keymer in Oslo. He also played a game of chess with the young Grandmaster at his chamber in the Secretariat.

The government released a video of the grandmaster meeting Vijay with his parents.

As Vijay, completely absorbed in the game stood up beside his huge office table to make a strategic move to defend his king, Praggnanandhaa, the latter's parents, state Public Works and Sports Development Minister Aadhav Arjuna, and member secretary of Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu J Meghanatha Reddy, stood around watching.

The final move by Praggnanadhaa showed Vijay's king being checkmated. The CM put up a smile and applauded his 'opponent'. Soon the onlookers too smiled and applauded as a beaming Praggnanandhaa looks at the CM, as seen in the video.

Later, Vijay presented a cheque for Rs 50 lakh as cash incentive on behalf of SDAT to the young grandmaster for etching his name in history.

"He (CM) played well... I won," Praggnanandhaa later told reporters.

Praggnanandhaa described his Norway Chess triumph as the biggest achievement of his career, emphasising that defeating some of the world's strongest players including Magnus Carlsen made the title particularly memorable.

He became the first Indian to win Norway Chess since the tournament's inception in 2013.

Published on June 8, 2026