Chennai, Oct 30 (PTI): Having won the world under-18 chess title recently, young Indian Grand Master R Praggnanandhaa on Wednesday said his confidence level is up and wanted to do even better.

"There is stiff competition in the Under-18 category.

My confidence levels have gone up after the triumph. I am motivated to do even better in the upcoming tournaments," Praggnanandhaa said on the sidelines of a felicitation function at the Velammal School campus here.

The 14-year old will be taking part in a the London Chess Classic in London (December 1-9) and Sunway Chess Open in Sitges (December 13-22).

"More people have started to take notice of me after my showing in Mumbai.

I have also been getting some invitations for events. I will be travelling to England and Spain before the close of the year," he added.

The Chennai-based chess prodigy took part in two back to back major events: the World Youth (U-18) and then the World junior (U-20) championships in Mumbai and Delhi respectively.

After claiming the under-18 title, he finished ninth in the Under-20 event.

Praggnanandhaa said playing back to back tournaments had left him tired, which probably affectd his performance.

"I was a little bit tired as I was constantly in action. A lot of high-calibre players were also there and that made it difficult for me," he added.

Praggnanandhaa, a Class IX student of Velammal School, dedicated his recent world under-18 title to Sujith Wilson, the two-year old boy who passed away on Tuesday after getting stuck in an abandoned bore well near Tiruchirapally.

"This is for him. I hope tragic incidents like this dont happen in the future," he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)