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Time of India
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Changes in my game showing results: R Praggnanandhaa
Chennai : After enduring a lean patch last year, Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa has stormed back to form with three major titles this year — a run that has propelled him to India No. 1 and World No. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 4 in the live rankings. It also firmly placed him in contention for a 2026 FIDE Candidates berth. The 19-year-old kicked off the season with a memorable win at Wijk aan Zee, followed it up with a joint-first finish at the Superbet Chess Classic in Romania, and then clinched the UzChess Cup in Tashkent, which put him in pole position on the FIDE Circuit leaderboard with 86.28 points. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! While the World Cup and Grand Swiss later this year will be decisive, for now, the Chennai youngster is well and truly in the driver's seat. 'This year has been good for me so far and I hope it continues. We made some changes in my game and it's showing results. Last year, things didn't go my way. Ramesh sir and I worked and tried to find things to change… Those were the difficult things. Now there are a lot of tournaments coming up… Candidates, Grand Swiss, GCT… And I'm trying to focus on all of them and take one at a time,' Pragg said on the sidelines of the 'Chola Chess' academy launch here on Wednesday. When asked if he feels on track for the Candidates seat, Pragg said: 'I'm giving my best and we will see… There are a lot more important tournaments lined up. In the FIDE Circuit, anyone can come up and catch me. For me personally, I will take each tournament separately and I want to give my best for every tournament. Let's see how it goes.' Anand hopeful that Pragg will qualify for Candidates Pragg had qualified for the Candidates last year but finished fifth in the tournament. Five-time world champion believes the teenager has got 'extra motivation' to perform better. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'He's having a sensational year. I think for him, missing out (on winning) the Candidates last year is a reaction this year. He's got that extra motivation. The most important thing is not to be leading the Circuit now… it's to be leading when it ends. Hopefully, it'll happen,' said Anand.
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Changes in my game showing results: Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa
CHENNAI: After enduring a lean patch last year, Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa has stormed back to form with three major titles this year — a run that has propelled him to India No. 1 and World No. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 4 in the live rankings. It also firmly placed him in contention for a 2026 FIDE Candidates berth. The 19-year-old kicked off the season with a memorable win at Wijk aan Zee, followed it up with a joint-first finish at the Superbet Chess Classic in Romania, and then clinched the UzChess Cup in Tashkent, which put him in pole position on the FIDE Circuit leaderboard with 86.28 points. While the World Cup and Grand Swiss later this year will be decisive, for now, the Chennai youngster is well and truly in the driver's seat. 'This year has been good for me so far and I hope it continues. We made some changes in my game and it's showing results. Last year, things didn't go my way. Ramesh sir and I worked and tried to find things to change…Those were the difficult things. Now there are a lot of tournaments coming up…Candidates, Grand Swiss, I'm trying to focus on all of them and take one at a time,' Pragg said on the sidelines of the 'Chola Chess' academy launch here on Wednesday. When asked if he feels on track for the Candidates seat, Pragg said: 'I'm giving my best and we will see…There are a lot more important tournaments lined up. In the FIDE Circuit, anyone can come up and catch me. For me personally, I will take each tournament separately and I want to give my best for every tournament. Let's see how it goes.' Anand hopeful that Pragg will qualify for Candidates Pragg had qualified for the Candidates last year but finished fifth in the prestigious tournament. Five-time world champion , who has closely tracked Pragg's rise, believes the teenager has got 'extra motivation' to perform better. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'He's (Pragg) having a sensational year overall. I think for him, missing out (on winning) the Candidates last year is a reaction this year. He's got that extra motivation. As he himself noted, the most important thing is not to be leading the FIDE Circuit now…It's to be leading when it ends. Hopefully that'll happen. Otherwise, he's still got chances through the Swiss or the World Cup. But his biggest lead is in the FIDE Circuit. And good luck to him. I'm really hopeful he will qualify for the Candidates, but I don't want to jinx anything,' said the 55-year-old. 'Gukesh showing signs of progress' Meanwhile, Gukesh has had an uneven run after being crowned the youngest world champion. And in recent weeks, the Chennai boy had to deal with some jibes from World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. 'I think he's (Gukesh) showing signs of progress and after all, he's playing all the best players in the world now, constantly. As for the jibes, they come with the territory. You cannot expect to be a world champion and say people will just be nice to me. You have to face that and I don't see anything to be concerned about his game,' said Anand. I'm enjoying chess now: Anand Anand himself finished runner-up at the recent Leon Masters, showing he still has a move or two left. 'More than others, I take it one step at a time. I might play a tournament and not play for some time. But I'm enjoying the stage that I am in…where I'm not playing full-time, but I'm still able to come back and enjoy a bit of chess. I probably won't do it (stop playing) in secret.'
The Hindu
02-07-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
R. Praggnanandhaa: This is one of the best phases of my career
The India No. 1 in chess ranking is kind of a musical chair now. It shows how strong the young Indians have been faring at the level. The latest occupant of the hot seat is R. Praggnanandhaa, who is ranked World No. 4 in the latest FIDE rating list released on Tuesday. Arjun Erigaisi and D. Gukesh are placed No. 5 and 6, respectively. Praggnanandhaa isn't concerned much about the ranking. Rather, he is happy with the kind of chess he has been playing over the last few months. He has won three significant titles, including the prestigious Wijk aan Zee (Tata Steel) this year. 'Winning Wijk aan Zee meant a lot to me as it is an 87-year-old tournament, which was won in the past by several World champions,' Praggnanandhaa told Sportstar over a phone call from Zagreb, where he would be playing the third leg of the Grand Chess Tour. 'It was also nice winning the Superbet Chess Classic in Romania and the UzChess Cup in Tashkent just a couple of days ago.' ALSO READ | GCT 2025, Zagreb: Spotlight on Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh The 19-year-old from Chennai admits this has been one of the best phases of his career. 'I have tried to change a few things about my chess, which has worked,' he said. 'I am much more confident, and I push myself in those critical games.' Praggnanandhaa is glad that the young Indians, apart from the top three, have been doing well of late. 'Aravindh Chithambaram is playing great chess,' he said. 'And Nihal Sarin has had good results in the classical formats of late. Our achievements, like Gukesh's World title and Arujun breaking the 2800 Elo barrier, motivate each other. Indian chess is looking up now, with corporates supporting players like me; I have benefited from my association with Adani Group.' He is looking forward to the Esports World Cup, where he will represent Team Liquid, alongside World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. 'It is nice that chess is becoming part of Esports,' he said.
The Hindu
01-07-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Praggnanandhaa: This is one of the best phases of my career
The India No. 1 in chess ranking is kind of a musical chair now. It shows how strongly the young Indians have been faring at the highest level. The latest occupant of the hot seat is R. Praggnanandhaa, who is ranked World No. 4 in the latest FIDE rating list released by FIDE on Tuesday. Arjun Erigaisi and D. Gukesh are placed No. 5 and 6, respectively. The 19-year-old from Chennai isn't concerned much about the ranking. He is pretty happy, though, with the kind of chess he has been playing over the last few months. He has won three significant titles, including the prestigious Wijk aan Zee (Tata Steel) this year. I have always dreamt of winning a GCT event, Winning the #SuperbetChessClassic is indeed dream come true. I'm grateful to my coach, team, family, and supporters for their unwavering belief in me. — Praggnanandhaa (@rpraggnachess) May 17, 2025 'Winning Wijk aan Zee meant a lot to me as it is an 87-year-old tournament, which was won in the past by several World champions,' Praggnanandhaa told The Hindu over phone from Zagreb, where he would be playing the third leg of the Grand Chess Tour. 'It was also nice winning the Superbet Chess Classic in Romania and the UzChess Cup in Tashkent just a couple of days ago.' He admits this has been one of the best phases of his career. 'I have tried to change a few things about my chess, which has worked,' he said. 'I am much more confident, and I push myself in those critical games.' Praggnanandhaa is glad that the young Indians, apart from the top three, have been doing well of late. 'Aravindh Chithambaram is playing great chess,' he said. 'And Nihal Sarin has had good results in the classical formats of late. Our achievements, like Gukesh's World title and Arujun breaking the 2800 Elo barrier, motivate each other.' Before chess conquered the world, it was born in India. For centuries, India has shaped the game. Now, it shapes the future. Praggnanandhaa R. carries that legacy forward — and today, he joins ours. Welcome to Team Liquid. The future of chess starts here. 💙🇮🇳 Pragg உன்னை… — Team Liquid (@TeamLiquid) June 28, 2025 He is looking forward to the Esports World Cup, in which he will play for Team Liquid, alongside World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. 'It is nice that chess is becoming part of Esports,' he said.
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First Post
20-06-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Fabiano Caruana latest top-rated chess player to question D Gukesh: 'Not playing close to his best...'
D Gukesh is yet to win a tournament since being crowned the youngest world champion in chess history in December. And even though the teenager has shown flashes of brilliance, the lack of success has led to growing criticism, including from world No 4 Fabiano Caruana. read more D Gukesh has had quite the few detractors ever since he became the youngest world champion in chess history last December following his victory over China's Ding Liren in Singapore. The biggest among them were five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, ranked first and second respectively in the world with the former counted among the greatest of all time. There's another member of chess' elite who has been questioning whether Gukesh, who has been making headlines globally before even turning 20, truly deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Carlsen or not. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, who had finished runner-up at the Norway Chess recently – behind Carlsen but ahead of Gukesh – isn't just playing down Gukesh's as a threat for chess' old order, but is also describing the new generation of Indian players as youngsters who aren't as scary as they are made to be . 'Gukesh has been ambitiously fighting for first place' And speaking on the C Squared Podcast, Caruana added that even though Gukesh is close to playing his best Classical chess, the titles aren't coming as frequently as they were last year. 'I don't think for the last two events (Superbet Chess Classic and Norway Chess) you can say that Gukesh is not playing close to his best classical chess. That would be a big stretch, not even a stretch I think that would just be dishonest,' Caruana, who overtook Gukesh on the FIDE Rating after Norway Chess, said on the podcast. 'But overall if you look at the last year and a half, then Budapest Chess Olympiad and FIDE Candidates and then Wijk aan Zee twice… Gukesh has had good performances. Obviously he's been one of the players who is ambitiously fighting for first place in many events,' he added. Gukesh is yet to win a tournament since he was crowned world champion, having finished runner-up at the Tata Steel Chess behind compatriot R Praggnanandhaa and third at Norway Chess. The Chennai lad has also struggled to make an impact in other Classical events such as the Superbet Classic that took place in Bucharest, Romania before the trip to Norway, and his struggle with the Freestyle format has been well-documented in the ongoing Grand Slam Tour. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Gukesh, however, has had his moments, especially in Norway where he pulled off a stunning victory over Carlsen – beating the world No 1 in the Classical format for the first time in his career.
