Atreyo Mukhopadhyay
Maxim Vachier-Lagrave had a faint smile on his face, when he extended his hand to his rival immediately after the final blitz tie-breaker game, at the Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest late on Friday night (IST). The players shook hands once more while getting off their chairs and the Frenchman grinned again. The player he had lost to, however, presented a face devoid of emotions.
After winning his second big title of the year and exchanging pleasantries on the board, R Praggnanandhaa put his participant’s badge back around his neck and started sipping from his water bottle. Looking a bit lost amid a small group of people congratulating him, he walked away towards the presentation area. There was still no trace of joy in the youngster at his moment of triumph.
Deep down, Pragg knows the importance of topping a field comprising five of the world’s top 10 players. Coming four months after he won the Tata Steel meet at Wijk Aan Zee, this is a grand double competing with some of the best players in the world sans the No. 1 and 2 — Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura. That, however, isn’t the Indian’s fault. Overshadowed by the meteoric rise of D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi in 2024, Pragg is rediscovering himself.
Conscious effort to improve
“It wasn’t that great last year,” Pragg told the presenter in a live video on the website of Grand Chess Tour, that this Bucharest event is a part of. It was his first title in this chain of competitions. “I worked on a few things. I am trying to be more ambitious and go for tournament wins, wherever I play. I am trying to improve certain things and happy to see that it’s coming off,” he said, after receiving a cheque for $77,677 (Rs 66.46 lakh approx).
World No. 7 before Bucharest, the player who turns 20 in August, will likely improve his ranking when the next list is out. He has added consistency to his naturally instinctive game and become more cautious. He could have gone all out with white against Levon Aronian of the USA in the last round, but settled for a draw, knowing that he would still be in the tie-break. In 32 classical games in 2025, he has won 11, drawn 18 and lost just three. The tendency to give it away is gone.
“I’m fortunate to have a good support system, which starts from my family and includes the Adani Group, who has been supporting me since last year,” said Pragg. “It’s got a lot to do with my trainers and the seconds that I have. They have worked a lot. A huge thanks to Ramesh sir (coach RB Ramesh). Last year, it didn’t go well. We worked on a few things. What we are seeing now is a result of that hard work. It wouldn’t have been possible without the support I have.”
After Tata Steel, Pragg was the joint-leader heading into the final round of Prague Masters, but lost his game and finished fourth in the standings, despite tying for second on points. He had lost in the last round at Tata Steel as well, before beating Gukesh in a tie-breaker to win the title. Probably, this explains why he didn’t exert himself against Aronian in Bucharest. It was the first competition of the year where he remained undefeated.
Inspired by Gukesh and Arjun
Said to be the brightest of a brilliant bunch, Pragg couldn’t match the enormity of the success achieved by Gukesh and Erigaisi last year. He didn’t do badly, but that got buried under feats like world championship win, crossing 2800 in Elo ratings and individual gold medals from the Olympiad. Indirectly, this Chennai boy feels that their triumphs made him hungrier.
“They have inspired me to work harder and give it my best,” said Pragg of his peers. “Gukesh and Arjun are examples. What they have done motivates not just me but others. That’s why we see such good results (from Indians). And that’s the best part. We are all inspiring each other to grow together.”
Not part of the next big one — Norway Chess featuring Carlsen and five of the world’s top six including Gukesh and Erigaisi from May 26 — Pragg will get invitations from other places. He had beaten Carlsen in this event last year. Missing it in 2025 could be a bitter pill, but he knows that he is in good space and ready for the road ahead.