Praggnanandhaa beats Tamil Nadu CM Vijay in friendly chess game, watch

#WATCH | Chennai | Tamil Nadu CM Vijay meets Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa and awards him Rs 50 lakh on behalf of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu after the chess player won the Norway Chess 2026 title.

(Source: TNDIPR) pic.twitter.com/Lf4dNgYrEX

— ANI (@ANI) June 8, 2026

Speaking to the media later, Praggnanandhaa admitted he was surprised by Vijay’s interest in the game.

“I didn’t expect it. I haven’t heard from anyone that he plays chess. He asked me to bring the board. We assembled the pieces and began playing impromptu. He played well. I asked him when he plays chess. He said he plays with his friends. I won, but I didn’t expect he would play that well,” the grandmaster said.

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Exclusive:-CM Vijay played chess with me. I thought it would be easy to win, but his moves were very calculated and tough 😳🔥. In the end, I managed to win- Says Praggnanandhaa ♟️

pic.twitter.com/lpHyCaPOUl

— TD….❥ (@MiniiGirl__) June 8, 2026

On the film front, Vijay’s final movie before transitioning into full-time politics, Jana Nayagan, is yet to hit theatres. The film was originally slated for a Pongal release this year, but its release remains uncertain due to certification issues.