A well-earned spot in Candidates for Praggnanandhaa

Of India’s unusually ample fig of disappointments astatine the caller Chess World Cup successful Goa, R. Praggnanandhaa was the biggest. The 3rd effect was knocked retired successful the 4th circular by Russia’s Daniil Dubov.

Praggnanadhaa had contested the last successful the past World Cup, and was connected the cusp of qualifying for the Candidates tourney done the FIDE Circuit. His aboriginal exit was a treble blow: a apical 3 decorativeness astatine the World Cup would person besides ensured his summons for Cyprus, which volition big the Candidates successful March-April adjacent year.

The mediocre amusement astatine Arpora, a serene, greenish colony connected the seashore of North Goa, meant the 20-year-old could nary longer rather instrumentality the FIDE Circuit for granted. So helium chose to play astatine the London Chess Classic, and went connected to stock the apical prize successful the Open conception of the tournament. That would beryllium capable for him to triumph the Circuit; his nearest rival, Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who shared the apical prize successful London Classic’s Elite tourney with a circular to spare, present could not drawback up with him, adjacent if helium were to reproduce that benignant of signifier astatine the World Rapid and Blitz title successful Doha precocious this month.

So Praggnanandhaa has kept live hopes of an all-India – oregon an all-Chennai - combat for the adjacent World championship. If helium wins the Candidates, helium volition instrumentality connected the defending champion D. Gukesh successful the World rubric match.

To triumph the Candidates volition not beryllium easy, of course. The tourney features immoderate of the strongest players, including the World No. 2 and No. 3 from the USA, Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana, the No. 8 Anish Giri of the Netherlands and China’s Wei Yi, No. 9. Jovakhir Sindarov (Uzbekistan), Andrey Esipenko (Russia) and Matthias Bluebaum implicit the line-up for the treble round-robin league of 8 men.

Some of them whitethorn beryllium stronger than him, but they each cognize Praggnanandhaa is simply a pugnacious lawsuit who has had a large year, particularly successful the format of the Candidates: classical chess. Before the London Classic, helium had besides won different important tournaments, specified arsenic Tata Steel Masters, Superbet Chess Classic Romania and UzChess Cup Masters.

His adjacent tourney is the Global Chess League successful Mumbai, starting connected December 14. He is playing for Alpine SG Pipers, wherever his teammates see Giri and Caruana.