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He’s been astir for truthful agelong that 1 forgets that helium is conscionable 20. Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa’s emergence has been steadily spectacular.
Having been drawn to chess rather early, his maturation was impressive. Winning became a wont for him and the International Master rubric astatine the property of 10 turned the spotlight connected him firmly. He has travel a agelong mode since, pursuing excellence successful the athletics with unwavering absorption and dedication.
The Chennai GM was a hugely fashionable subordinate astatine the Norway Chess 2026 on with compatriot and World champion D. Gukesh with fans swarming the duo to get pictures taken and for autographs.
Praggnanandhaa oregon simply Pragg arsenic the chess fraternity and fans similar to telephone him, took clip disconnected to stock his thoughts with the Indian media astir beingness connected the road, the pressures of top-flight sport, hobbies and friends successful a freewheeling chat. Excerpts:
The strangest spot you person played chess in? You are playing a room close now...
I can’t deliberation of one, astir apt the library. Usually a room is calm... but present determination is ever thing happening successful the background
In this tournament, you defeated World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen twice... What bash you deliberation astir that?
I deliberation everyone is beardown here, it’s not conscionable astir Magnus, determination are besides different beardown players, truthful you person to bash good against everyone, I didn’t person bully moments aboriginal successful the tournament.
Given your engaged schedule, what facet of the crippled motivates you to springiness your best?
I bask playing the game, truthful whenever I beryllium astatine the board, I conscionable bask it, truthful I effort to springiness my best. Nothing specific, I deliberation each tourney is different, you are facing antithetic opponents, antithetic formats, truthful each tourney is breathtaking successful its ain way.
At this signifier of your career, what is it that astir interests you astir chess?
I deliberation it conscionable depends connected the tournament.... similar present the format is truthful breathtaking that I americium conscionable blessed to play, besides the players are ace strong, I mean determination are tournaments wherever the extremity is simple, conscionable to effort to triumph the tournament.
Which are these tournaments that you are conscionable determination to enjoy?
It conscionable depends connected the tournament, it conscionable depends connected my mood, however I consciousness earlier it, however I consciousness during the tourney and each these things.
You played astir 16 tournaments successful 2025. Is determination a conscious thought to possibly play little tournaments?
Yeah, that is thing that I decided I volition effort to bash (play less), effort to person breaks successful between. Last year... adjacent though the results went my way, it was a spot excessively overmuch to play... truthful overmuch of chess. I’m inactive astir apt going to play astir each the (big) tournaments, but I’ll astir apt skip the EWC (Esports World Cup) and each these different tournaments. I mean astatine immoderate constituent you conscionable person to prioritise.
Did you consciousness that playing truthful galore tournaments benignant of affected your tourney play astatine immoderate constituent due to the fact that you didn’t person clip to reset, you didn’t person clip to retool successful presumption of tactics and strategies and things similar that?
For sure, I deliberation astatine immoderate constituent you are conscionable burnt out, you don’t person vigor similar adjacent if you person carnal energy, you conscionable don’t person the intelligence vigor to bash the aforesaid happening beauteous overmuch each tournament, aforesaid regular and everything gets tiring astatine immoderate point. It conscionable becomes automatic that you conscionable don’t bask it anymore, it conscionable happens. So, that’s wherefore I deliberation these breaks are important.
When did you consciousness burnt retired oregon consciousness wherefore americium I playing truthful much?
I can’t truly accidental the nonstop infinitesimal but astatine immoderate constituent similar I was, I counted this similar successful 3 months I travelled to 7 countries, which I deliberation is excessively overmuch for anyone... Look, 1 is not going determination to conscionable person a look astatine the place, you are going determination to combat successful each tourney and each these tournaments are ace strong. It is mentally tiring, but you cognize it’s maine that signed up for each these tournaments truthful I person to instrumentality it immoderate that comes.
You became an International Master astatine a young property and 10 years down the enactment you are 1 of the strongest chess players successful the world, truthful however bash you look astatine being a relation model...
I don’t truly deliberation excessively overmuch astir it. I conscionable bash what I do, I conscionable effort to play a game, but it’s bully to spot that radical look up to a chess subordinate and privation to instrumentality up chess... you cognize whenever determination is immoderate kid coming to instrumentality a representation oregon for an autograph I effort to bash my best, I effort to springiness them a small spot of time, truthful yeah, I deliberation it’s great. When 1 starts, they look up to idiosyncratic and get started. So, it’s bully that radical are looking astatine not conscionable maine but besides the different Indian players too.
Has determination ever been a clip successful the caller past, erstwhile you thought possibly I could person had a mean childhood, school, and finished college?
You person to springiness (up) definite things for definite things. I don’t truly regret it, but I would person loved to person immoderate schoolhouse friends oregon assemblage friends. But erstwhile I’m going for thing overmuch bigger, I’m blessed with however things are.
When you are successful Chennai, who are the radical that you telephone to possibly spell to the formation oregon cinema. Is it idiosyncratic similar Gukesh oregon Arjun (Erigaisi) oregon others?
No, I deliberation we look astatine each different excessively overmuch successful tournaments... (laughs). If I americium going retired erstwhile I americium successful Chennai, it’s usually similar my sister (R. Vaishali) is there, my household is there, they are the ones.
Don’t you get to look astatine Vaishali arsenic you play a batch of tournaments together..
As member and sister, we person to look astatine each different successful tournaments and astatine location too.. There is nary escape. I person a fewer chess friends and we sometimes spell retired to play immoderate sports.
Do you deliberation that Indian youngsters absorption possibly excessively overmuch connected chess and is determination excessively overmuch pressure?
I tin lone reply from my part. At times, I bash consciousness similar I absorption excessively overmuch connected chess. Certainly, I deliberation having a antithetic hobby could assistance chess arsenic well. There are immoderate things that I privation to effort successful the future. There is thing specific, it’s conscionable that sometimes you conscionable work thing and you are excited.
On the disappointment aft missing retired successful the Candidates
Certainly that (disappointment of not doing good successful Candidates) is thing that I person to woody with due to the fact that successful the past 2 years I was reasoning lone astir this cycle... I benignant of gave everything for this. There was thing other I was reasoning about. You tin besides spot from the tournaments I played past twelvemonth that I was conscionable going for this 1 spot successful the FIDE circuit (to suffice for the Candidates). I person to effort and get backmost to playing tournaments. I conscionable privation to play chess and chill (now). I don’t privation to deliberation astir the adjacent two-year cycle.
How agelong does it instrumentality for you to retrieve from specified disappointments, similar the 1 successful the Candidates
I americium usually speedy to retrieve from disappointments. And, I think, successful this Candidates specifically similar my sister (Vaishali) winning surely helped maine header with my ain disappointment.
You person a increasing instrumentality basal successful Taiwan though you person not played there... Any connection for them?
I’m pleasantly amazed to perceive that. It’s bully to cognize that arsenic you don’t truly perceive Taiwan arsenic a chess civilization nation, truthful I deliberation immoderate state starting to turn a chess civilization is great. I anticipation much tournaments volition beryllium held determination and much kids volition beryllium coming up from there.
Do you usage Artificial Intelligence (AI) successful your training?
I wouldn’t accidental I usage due AI, but of people I usage engines and computers and they bash play a captious relation successful opening preparation. But besides you larn a batch from conscionable looking astatine the engine, the mode it thinks, the mode it analyses and truthful on. I deliberation everyone uses that.
(The writer is successful Oslo astatine the invitation of Norway Chess).
