Eight-year-old chess prodigy Vaka Lakshmi Pragnika from Surat was honoured with the Prime Minister’s National Children’s Award for Excellence in Sports by President Draupadi Murmu on Friday.
The award ceremony was held at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on December 26, a day ahead of Veer Bal Diwas. Pragnika also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the celebrations at Bharat Mandapam. She received a medal, certificate, citation and a cash prize.
Earlier this year, Pragnika created history by winning the Under-7 Girls title at the FIDE World Schools Chess Championship in Serbia, finishing with a flawless score of 9 out of 9.
She has also claimed several state and national honours, including gold medals at the Gujarat Under-7 and Under-9 championships, and a bronze medal at the National Schools Chess Championship.
Following the award ceremony, Pragnika left for Guwahati, Assam, on Saturday to participate in the Under-9 National Chess Tournament.
Dev Patel, secretary of the All India Chess Federation and president of the Gujarat State Chess Association, congratulated her achievement, praising her dedication, perseverance and exceptional talent, and said her success has brought pride to both the chess community and the nation.