He’s been around for so long that one forgets that he is just 20. Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa’s rise has been steadily spectacular.
Having been drawn to chess quite early, his growth was impressive. Winning became a habit for him and the International Master title at the age of 10 turned the spotlight on him firmly. He has come a long way since, pursuing excellence in the sport with unwavering focus and dedication.
The Chennai GM was a hugely popular player at the Norway Chess 2026 along with compatriot and World champion D. Gukesh with fans swarming the duo to get pictures taken and for autographs.
Praggnanandhaa or simply Pragg as the chess fraternity and fans like to call him, took time off to share his thoughts with the Indian media about life on the road, the pressures of top-flight sport, hobbies and friends in a freewheeling chat. Excerpts:
The strangest place you have played chess in? You are playing a library right now…
I can’t think of one, probably the library. Usually a library is calm… but here there is always something happening in the background
In this tournament, you defeated World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen twice… What do you think about that?
I think everyone is strong here, it’s not just about Magnus, there are also other strong players, so you have to do well against everyone, I didn’t have good moments early in the tournament.
Given your busy schedule, what facet of the game motivates you to give your best?
I enjoy playing the game, so whenever I sit at the board, I just enjoy it, so I try to give my best. Nothing specific, I think every tournament is different, you are facing different opponents, different formats, so every tournament is exciting in its own way.
At this stage of your career, what is it that most interests you about chess?
I think it just depends on the tournament…. like here the format is so exciting that I am just happy to play, also the players are super strong, I mean there are tournaments where the goal is simple, just to try to win the tournament.
Which are these tournaments that you are just there to enjoy?
It just depends on the tournament, it just depends on my mood, how I feel before it, how I feel during the tournament and all these things.
You played around 16 tournaments in 2025. Is there a conscious idea to maybe play less tournaments?
Yeah, that is something that I decided I will try to do (play less), try to have breaks in between. Last year… even though the results went my way, it was a bit too much to play… so much of chess. I’m still probably going to play almost all the (big) tournaments, but I’ll probably skip the EWC (Esports World Cup) and all these other tournaments. I mean at some point you just have to prioritise.
Did you feel that playing so many tournaments kind of affected your tournament play at some point because you didn’t have time to reset, you didn’t have time to retool in terms of tactics and strategies and things like that?
For sure, I think at some point you are just burnt out, you don’t have energy like even if you have physical energy, you just don’t have the mental energy to do the same thing pretty much every tournament, same routine and everything gets tiring at some point. It just becomes automatic that you just don’t enjoy it anymore, it just happens. So, that’s why I think these breaks are important.
When did you feel burnt out or feel why am I playing so much?
I can’t really say the exact moment but at some point like I was, I counted this like in three months I travelled to seven countries, which I think is too much for anyone… Look, one is not going there to just have a look at the place, you are going there to fight in every tournament and all these tournaments are super strong. It is mentally tiring, but you know it’s me that signed up for all these tournaments so I have to take it whatever that comes.
You became an International Master at a young age and 10 years down the line you are one of the strongest chess players in the world, so how do you look at being a role model…
I don’t really think too much about it. I just do what I do, I just try to play a game, but it’s nice to see that people look up to a chess player and want to take up chess… you know whenever there is some kid coming to take a picture or for an autograph I try to do my best, I try to give them a little bit of time, so yeah, I think it’s great. When one starts, they look up to someone and get started. So, it’s nice that people are looking at not just me but also the other Indian players too.
Has there ever been a time in the recent past, when you thought maybe I could have had a normal childhood, school, and finished college?
You have to give (up) certain things for certain things. I don’t really regret it, but I would have loved to have some school friends or college friends. But when I’m going for something much bigger, I’m happy with how things are.
When you are in Chennai, who are the people that you call to maybe go to the beach or cinema. Is it someone like Gukesh or Arjun (Erigaisi) or others?
No, I think we look at each other too much in tournaments… (laughs). If I am going out when I am in Chennai, it’s usually like my sister (R. Vaishali) is there, my family is there, they are the ones.
Don’t you get to look at Vaishali as you play a lot of tournaments together..
As brother and sister, we have to look at each other in tournaments and at home too.. There is no escape. I have a few chess friends and we sometimes go out to play some sports.
Do you think that Indian youngsters focus maybe too much on chess and is there too much pressure?
I can only answer from my part. At times, I do feel like I focus too much on chess. Certainly, I think having a different hobby could help chess as well. There are some things that I want to try in the future. There is nothing specific, it’s just that sometimes you just read something and you are excited.
On the disappointment after missing out in the Candidates
Certainly that (disappointment of not doing well in Candidates) is something that I have to deal with because in the last two years I was thinking only about this cycle… I sort of gave everything for this. There was nothing else I was thinking about. You can also see from the tournaments I played last year that I was just going for this one spot in the FIDE circuit (to qualify for the Candidates). I have to try and get back to playing tournaments. I just want to play chess and chill (now). I don’t want to think about the next two-year cycle.
How long does it take for you to recover from such disappointments, like the one in the Candidates
I am usually quick to recover from disappointments. And, I think, in this Candidates specifically like my sister (Vaishali) winning certainly helped me cope with my own disappointment.
You have a growing fan base in Taiwan though you have not played there… Any message for them?
I’m pleasantly surprised to hear that. It’s nice to know that as you don’t really hear Taiwan as a chess culture nation, so I think any country starting to grow a chess culture is great. I hope more tournaments will be held there and more kids will be coming up from there.
Do you use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your training?
I wouldn’t say I use proper AI, but of course I use engines and computers and they do play a vital role in opening preparation. But also you learn a lot from just looking at the engine, the way it thinks, the way it analyses and so on. I think everyone uses that.
(The writer is in Oslo at the invitation of Norway Chess).
Published – June 08, 2026 12:43 am IST
