CHENNAI: Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa is deeply moved by the love and affection showered on him by the chess fraternity and the fans across the world for winning a silver medal at the 2023 FIDE World Cup at Baku. He is aware that from now on he will get to play more tournaments and the calendar will be crowded. Pragg, as he is affectionately called, is ready for it. He insists that he takes one tournament at a time and believes that the silver medal at the World Cup will propel him to do well at the Candidates. In an exclusive interview, Pragg talks about things he needs to improve, Indian chess and the importance of food.
Excerpts:
How happy are you to win the silver medal in the World Cup?
Yes, I'm happy to win the silver medal, but I didn't expect it. I was just playing my natural game and things fell in place. Did you ever expect that you would be playing against Magnus Carlsen in the final?
It was unexpected, but after some time (beating Nakamura) I thought I could make it. Did you expect this final match to go till the tie-breaker?
Yes, it was expected because almost both (Carlsen and me) of us got tired at one point. What happened in the final tie-breaker?
Carlsen has played in many tie-breakers and had won them and thus he had more experience in it. In the first game, there was a chance to win, but I made a few mistakes so I couldn't make it. But you had already beaten Carlsen before and in tie-breakers, you are good, so did you not believe that you could beat Carlsen?
Carlsen is the best player in the world in any format. So it is not easy to beat him, that too in a final. Even though it was a tie-breaker, only if Carlsen made a mistake or if his calculations went wrong, there was a chance to beat him. Carlsen is the best player in the world. It was a learning experience to play against the legend in the final. What does one need to improve in order to win against Carlsen?
I'm improving myself and everyone's improving as well. Generally, one should be strong at everything be it openings, middle game and end game. I believe (personally) that a little bit more effort should be made in my opening game. How was your experience in this World cup as a whole?
Overall, it was pretty good. I enjoyed playing in the tournament. My mother was there with me for moral support. Plus, the wishes from one and all during the tournament were very touching. While playing with Arjun Erigaisi you lost in the first game, then you won the second and the tie-breaks. How was your experience?
As I told you before, this format should be played compulsorily without any chance. In the first game, I lost my tactics, but in the second I won and even tie-breaks I was winning back to back. At last, I won in a blitz game. It was a big relief. How about the semifinals where you beat a player of the class of Fabiano Caruana?
It was a good experience to play against Fabiano and win. But I was a bit tired (before the game). The thing (trick) was to recover from the previous match, that was the key.
After Vishy Anand, you're going to be the second Indian to play the Candidates?
Qualifying for the Candidates is a tough deal. For me qualifying during the World Cup was a big moment. I need to work hard for the event next year. How are your preparations for the Candidates going to be?
I am not going to think about it now, because I'm having several upcoming tournaments. I will be thinking about it (Candidates) after the month of November. Many players have trainers when they travel for tournaments. Who was your trainer for this World Cup?
My mom was with me and Ramesh sir trained me online. No trainer as such. Four Indians had played in the World cup this year, what do you think about this achievement?
It was a great thing to have four Indians in the quarterfinals. Last time, I think only one got selected. This time it was almost 50 per cent and this is such a big pride for all of us. How much are you impressed with Nijat Abasov's dream run (semifinals) in the World Cup? He was ranked about 97 in the world...
We can't say Nijat was an unknown player because all the top players know him. And on a given day, if you go with the proper flow, anyone can win against anyone. In Germany your WR Chess team won the World Rapid Team championship with a round to spare. How was that experience?
That was a good feeling. All our team members played some quality chess. They (WR Team) were all strong players, so it was happy for me to be included in that team and play along with them in a good tournament. You played at Baku in the World Cup and then went to Germany for the rapid team event, next you will be in Kolkata for the Tata Chess event. How do you manage to adapt yourself to different time zones and also prepare for different sets of opponents?
I try to play and relax as much as I can. Resting is the main thing. When you play across different time zones, you need to be calm and composed, so I ensure that I get good rest. RB Ramesh said that he wants to make you much fitter as at times, your energy levels drop due to constant chess?
It (improving fitness) must be done. At one point everyone gets tired because we are playing tournaments continuously for nearly one month. There will be back-to-back matches to play, because of that everyone gets tired. But, yes I am keen to improve my fitness. And the mental aspect?
I need to improve overall in every aspect, we can still grow, no matter how strong we were before. There will be more expectations from everyone, how are you going to handle the pressure?
I'm aware, but not worried. I will just keep it simple and do my job. You're going to be on more tours from now on, as you will be invited to play many tournaments. How are you going to adapt yourself to the sudden volume of travel? You're particular about homemade style food, so how are you going to adapt?
Generally, I'm okay with every food. Food is important to stay healthy and in turn have a healthy mind. But before matches, I prefer to have Indian food.
