6 days ago
R Praggnanandhaa Reveals Philosophy Behind Wearing Vibhuti On Forehead: "Nothing To..."
Indian chess grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa revealed the reason behind applying vibhuti, the sacred ash used in Hindu religious practices, on his forehead. The young chess prodigy always wears the vibhuti on his forehead and during a conversation with podcaster Raj Shamani, he was asked about the reason. Praggnanandhaa came up with a clear answer and explained how it ties into his philosophy in life. 'It's basically ash. We come from ash and return to it, so there's nothing to be arrogant about,' he said.
How well Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa - an Indian Chess master and a World champion explains the importance of applying ' VIBHUTI ' - the sacred ash on his forehead
Sanatan Sanskriti
— Sheetal Chopra 🇮🇳 (@SheetalPronamo) August 12, 2025
Earlier, Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa finished in sixth and seventh position respectively, even as Grandmaster Levon Aronian of the United States reigned supreme in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam.
Aronian survived some anxious moments before defeating compatriot Hans Moke Niemann 1.5-0.5 in the finals of the tournament.
World number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway also had a similar experience as he rallied after a disappointing first game to outplay Hikaru Nakamura of the United States in the third-place play-off.
Arjun went down 0-2 to Fabiano Caruana of the US, while Praggnanandhaa defeated another American Wesley So 1.5-0.5 to clinch the seventh spot among last eight remaining participants in this event.
Aronian took home USD 200000 for winning the tournament, while Arjun got USD 40000 for his effort. Praggnanandhaa made sure he wasn't far behind as he pocketed a total of USD 30000 after his final round win.
Praggnanandhaa played solidly as black in the first game and played out a draw while in the second he was relentless as he cruised home easily on a day when his sister R Vaishali was ousted from the FIDE Women's World Cup at Batumi, Georgia.
After a promising start in the event that saw him in the early stage semifinals, Arjun lost both his games against Caruana but the Indian will be happy with the fact that he was in the top four after the group stage was over.
It's going to be a busy summer ahead for Arjun and Praggnanandhaa as both will now proceed to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the E-Sports World Cup that starts in just a few days' time.
Thereafter Arjun will be seen in action in the Chennai Grandmasters tournament starting in the first week of August while Praggnanandhaa will go back to United States for two back-to-back events of the Grand Chess tour in St. Louis.
(With PTI inputs)
