In the newest World rankings launched by FIDE, three of the prime 10 are from India. The solely different nation that has a couple of participant in that checklist, revealed at the starting of the month by the world chess governing physique, is the United States, which has two.
R. Praggnanandhaa is ranked fourth, making him the highest ranked Indian; he’s adopted in fifth and sixth locations by Arjun Erigaisi and D. Gukesh, respectively. It is the first time that the 19-year-old from Chennai is the India No. 1.
Not a large deal
Not that he considers it a large deal. “I am just [three points] ahead [of Arjun and Gukesh],” he pressured whereas speaking to The Hindu just lately over the cellphone from Zagreb, one of a number of worldwide cities he has been crisscrossing by way of of late.
He, nevertheless, admits he’s fairly proud of the approach he has been taking part in over the previous couple of months. His present Elo ranking additionally displays that happiness. It is his career-best — 2779.
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He actually appears to have pushed previous the disappointments of 2024, which wasn’t a nice yr for him, particularly by the excessive commonplace he has set himself. Yes, he did play his half in India’s gorgeous triumph at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, however he wasn’t as constant final yr as he would have appreciated.
This yr, although, he has been taking part in fairly very good chess, some of the best in his profession. He has already gained three necessary classical tournaments, together with the prestigious Tata Steel at Wijk aan Zee in the Netherlands.
“It was a very important win for me because I was coming from not a great 2024,” says Praggnanandhaa. “I had finished the previous year missing a medal at the World Rapid Championship; I was so close. I lost a game from a winning position in the penultimate round. So coming from that, starting the year with such a win certainly gives you confidence.”
This seems to be acquainted: Magnus Carlsen has typically spoken extremely of Praggnanandhaa. ‘Magnus did say that Pragg plays the most similar to him,’ Ella Victoria, Carlsen’s spouse, stated just lately
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And Wijk aan Zee was one occasion he at all times needed to win, from the time he was a child. “It has so much history, of 87 years, and it was won in the past by several World champions,” he says. “So winning that tournament was very special for me.”
He adopted it up by successful the Superbet Chess Classic in Romania and the UzChess Cup in Uzbekistan. “Tashkent was special because I wasn’t thinking about winning it till the last couple of rounds,” he reveals. “I was one and a half points behind the leader, and it didn’t look like I had much of a chance, but things went my way. I managed to take my chances, against Arjun and Nodirbek Abdusattorov, two of the strongest players in the world right now. Then suddenly, I was in the tiebreakers, and I won.”
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In Romania, too, it was by way of the tiebreakers that he emerged as the champion, overcoming challenges from Alireza Firouzja and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. And it was his maiden title on the Grand Chess Tour.
“Yes, this is one of the best phases of my career,” says Praggnanandhaa. “I have tried to change a few things about my game, and they have gone my way. I am much more confident and I push myself more in those critical games.”
Handling time strain
He can also be proud of the approach he has dealt with the tiebreakers. “I needed to push myself in those games and I was able to do that,” he says. “They are blitz games and they go down to these few seconds, which can go any way. I did need some luck in some of those games, but pushing myself certainly helped.”
He is hoping to proceed his type for the relaxation of the yr, which has many main tournaments arising, together with the FIDE Grand Swiss, the Sinquefield Cup and the World Cup, which India will host.
“It is nice that the World Cup is being held in India,” he says. “It will be an exciting event as there is a lot of interest in India in chess, and people can get to watch such a big tournament. And I am also excited to play the World Cup in India.”
Praggnanandhaa is, of course, not going to be the solely severe contender from India. He says being half of a group of robust Indian gamers positively helps.
“I was following Gukesh’s World Championship match in Singapore and his victory over Ding Liren was exciting,” he says. “Arjun crossing the 2800 mark in Elo rating was also inspiring. With our performances, we all motivate each other. And it is nice to see other young Indian players are also doing well. Nihal Sarin is now playing more classical events, and he is winning tournaments too. And there is Aravindh Chithambaram, too.”
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Gukesh, Nihal, Arjun and Praggnanandhaa have benefited from important help from corporates. “Sponsorship is very important,” he says. “You have to travel a lot for tournaments, and training, too. And these things are not easy, and are expensive.
“For instance, when I prepared for the Candidates tournament, I needed to have a team and have training camps in person. All that requires financial support. I have been fortunate that Adani Group has been supporting me in a huge way. And they were there even when I was not having a good time last year. They were there supporting me throughout.”
He is inspired by the undeniable fact that extra corporates in India are investing in chess. “And we need more strong events like the Chennai Grandmasters,” he says. “I don’t mind playing anywhere but playing in India is always special to me.”
Praggnanandhaa can also be pleased to seek out chess changing into much more mainstream. He will function in the Esports World Cup, the place chess will make its debut on July 29. He has joined Team Liquid, which boasts World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and No. 3 Fabiano Caruana.
The Magnus impact
He says he’s actually glad to be half of that workforce. Carlsen, the five-time World champion from Norway, has typically spoken extremely of him, and the Indian has scored some memorable wins in opposition to the all-time nice over the previous couple of years.
Last week in Las Vegas, in truth, he beat Carlsen twice inside 4 days at the Freestyle Grand Slam. During the stay stream of that occasion, Carlsen’s spouse Ella Victoria made an attention-grabbing comment whereas speaking about Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa and Arjun. “Magnus did say that Pragg plays the most similar to him,” she stated.
High reward certainly.
