Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa was formally inducted into the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) at a function graced by its chairman Shrikant Madhav Vaidya and the State head of IOC for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, V. C. Asokan, here on Thursday. Pragg, who is now 16 years of age, will be on the rolls of IOC once he turns 18.
Speaking at the function, Pragg, who was given a tenure-based engagement letter by IOC, said: “I know many chess players who are with IOC and how it supports them. It’s an honour to join the IOC. It’s going to be a huge support for me in my chess career.”
Vaidya said IOC will support Pragg all the way. “Indian Oil has a vibrant ecosystem to promote young sportspersons. In fact last October, the honourable President honoured IOC as the best sporting Public Sector Undertaking. He (Pragg) was a very obvious choice for his recent performances. Chess has always been one of the big sports that IOC has been encouraging. We see a huge potential in him (Pragg) to do wonders for IOC and for the country.”
Pragg is currently writing his Std. XI board exams while competing in the online Chessable Masters tournament, a task he described as “tiring and enjoyable also.”
Pragg said he prefers playing over-the-board to online chess. “I like over-the-board more. The emotions are there. It is a different kind of thing. You can feel it. In over-the-board, there will be full focus on chess. At home it is different,” he said.
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