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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.
Spectator
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Spectator
UzChess Cup
The team of young talents from Uzbekistan, who sensationally won gold at the Chennai Olympiad in 2022, continue to develop apace. The strongest, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, is in the world top 10, and Javokhir Sindarov is at no. 25. They tied for first at the strong UzChess Cup, held in Tashkent in June, competing against elite players like Ian Nepomniachtchi, Arjun Erigaisi and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa. The latter also tied for first and won the playoff, though he was on the losing side of the most spectacular game of the event (perhaps the most beautiful of the year so far). R. Praggnanandhaa-Richard Rapport UzChess Masters 2025 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 f3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 Nc3 O-O 6 Nge2 a6 7 Be3 Nbd7 8 Qd2 b5 9 h4 Wisely declining the pawn sacrifice. After 9 cxb5 axb5 10 Nxb5 c6 11 Nc3 e5, the centre will soon be detonated by d6-d5, and practice shows that Black's lead in development provides excellent compensation. h5 10 O-O-O e5 11 d5 Nb6 12 Bxb6 cxb6 13 cxb5 axb5 14 Kb1 b4 15 Nb5 The first big moment. If White can collect the b4 pawn and consolidate with Ne2-c3, the game will be strategically won. Rapport's solution is an ingenious long-term piece sacrifice. Nxd5!! 16 exd5 16 Qxd5 Be6 is awful for White, e.g. 17 Qxd6 Bxa2+ 18 Kc2 Qc8+ 19 Kd2 Rd8 wins the queen. Bf5+ 17 Ka1 Ra4 Coolly defending the b4-pawn. The preceding sacrifice on d5 serves to dissuades White from the b2-b3 jab, due to the latent influence of the Bg7. For example, 18 b3 Ra5 19 Qxb4 Rxb5 20 Qxb5 Qc7! (20…e4+ 21 Nd4 is premature) 21 Qc4 Qe7 and the combined ideas of Rf8-c8 and e5-e4+ mean that Black stands well, despite being down a whole rook. 18 Nc1 Qd7 19 Bc4 Rc8 20 Qe2 e4! 21 Bb3 Defusing the attack with 21 fxe4 Bg4 22 Qd3 Bxd1 23 Rxd1 looks sensible, but there is a flaw. After 21 fxe4 b3!! the Ra4 creates havoc across the rank. One beautiful finish that could arise is 22 Bxb3 Rxe4 23 Qf1 Rb4 24 Na3 Qa7 25 Nb1 (to duck …Qa7xa3) Rc2! 26 Nc3 Qa3! with mate soon to follow on the long diagonal. exf3 22 gxf3 Ra5 23 Bc4 23 Nd4 was the lesser evil, though 23…Rxc1+ 24 Rxc1 Bxd4 25 Qd2 Bc5. Black retains excellent chances with a minimal material deficit. 23…Bc2!! Sacrifices on an empty square are easy to overlook. If 24 Qxc2 Qxb5! 25 Bxb5 Rxc2 26 Nd3 (else Rxb2 is catastrophic) Rxb5 wins. 24 Rd2 Ba4 25 Nd4 Rac5 26 Nc6 26 b3 b5! is no better. Bxc6 27 Nb3 Rxc4 28 Qxc4 Bb5 29 Qe4 29 Qxb4 Rc4 30 Qa3 Ra4 traps the queen. Bc4 30 Rc2 b5 31 Nc1 Re8 32 Qf4 Qa7 33 Rxc4 Or 33 Kb1 Bxa2+ 34 Nxa2 b3 is decisive. bxc4 34 Qxc4 b3 35 Rd1 No better was 35 Qxb3 Rb8 or 35 Nxb3 Qf2 36 Rb1 Re2. bxa2 36 Qxa2 Qf2 37 Qb3 Re3 White resigns as f3 and h4 soon drop.
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 Print
04-07-2025
- Sport
- The Print
Preparation for classical chess requires a lot of effort: Praggnanandhaa
Praggnanandhaa, who has won three major classical titles this year, feels players don't really enjoy the hours of preparations that goes into classical chess, and find the rapid and blitz more gratifying. Magnus, the five-time world champion, and world No.2 American Grandmaster Nakamura have played fewer classical games, and instead focused on freestyle, rapid and blitz formats. New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) Teenage Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa believes players like Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura gradually moving away from classical chess has to do with the mental and physical exhaustion that comes with playing the long format for a long time. 'It's difficult to play classical chess because everyone is well prepared… the opening preparation part is huge in classical chess. If you compare it to freestyle, you don't have to prepare before a game, while in classical chess, you're basically forced to. 'I don't think anyone actually enjoys that process, but you're forced to and you have to have a plan for everything. That requires a lot of effort,' said Praggnanandhaa, who has won the Tata Steel Masters, Superbet Classic and Uz Chess Cup this year. The 19-year-old from Chennai feels chances of burnout also increase with years of playing classical chess. 'And when you play a lot of such tournaments, then your energy is also (drained)… I mean you can also be mentally and physically exhausted. So all these things happen. I think that's the reason why everyone prefers other formats,' Praggnanandhaa said. 'I mean, I myself like freestyle much more because of the fact that you don't have to prepare before a game. That doesn't mean we don't want to work on (our) chess. We enjoy working on chess. 'But the fact that you have to (put endless hours in preparations)… you're forced to do before the game like three-four hours of preparation, then it's not really something that everyone enjoys. So yeah, I like freestyle. I like rapid and it's a bit more than classical for sure. But I think classical is still the main thing.' Praggnanandhaa credits his professional growth to the support being provided by the Adani group for the last year and a half. 'Adani Sportsline have been supporting me for the last one-and-a-half years already. And it's quite important because we do travel a lot and training is also expensive than what people think,' says Praggnanandhaa. 'For example, last year, I played in the Candidates, which required a team to help and then also like in-person camps. So all these things require support and that's where I think the Adani group has been supporting me in a huge way. 'And they were also there when I didn't have (a good) last year; they were there supporting me throughout. So, yeah, a huge thanks to them.' PTI AM AM ATK ATK This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
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.
