Nineteen-year-old Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa is back with a more confident version of himself after a challenging last season. Following three major title wins this year, his sights are now firmly set on the prestigious Candidates 2025 Tournament.
His consistent performances in 2024 have made him a frontrunner in the FIDE Circuit 2025. It all began with his first-ever win over reigning world champion D Gukesh at the Tata Steel Masters. That momentum carried through to two major classical titles — the Superbet Classic in Bucharest, where he defeated Alireza Firouzja and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in a tiebreaker, and most recently, the UzChess Cup Masters, where he overcame Javokhir Sindarov and Nodirbek Abdusattorov in another thrilling tiebreak.
“I wasn’t able to win as many games as I would have liked to (last year), but yeah, I’m much more confident now and much more ambitious than earlier. And, hopefully, I’ll make it to the Candidates,” Praggnanandhaa said in an interview with PTI.
As one of the youngest grandmasters in the world, Praggnanandhaa acknowledges the attention he gets from young fans and aims to give his best in every match.
“I’m not sure how to answer that. But, I mean, I try to give my best in every tournament, and this year has been going my way so far,” he said.
Currently leading the FIDE Circuit standings for a Candidates berth, the young GM remains focused but aware of the long road ahead.
“Yes, there are different (several) spots, of course. I am currently leading (the race for a Candidates spot) but there is still a lot of fight till December. But I think, I mean, I will also be playing the Grand Swiss and the World Cup. So, if I can make it in one of those, that will be better because I don’t have to wait till December,” he added.
Praggnanandhaa on Magnus Carlsen: “Still the Best”
When asked about the greatest chess player in the world, Praggnanandhaa didn’t hesitate to name Norwegian Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen.
“I think Magnus is still the best player in the world. And I don’t think there is any question about it. Whenever he plays a tournament, he is the favourite. He has been proving that he is still the best by winning every tournament. For me, personally, I take a lot of inspiration from him, the way he plays,” he said.
He cited Carlsen’s perfect performance at the Grand Slam Freestyle Tournament as an example of his dominance.
“For example, he won 9 out of 9 (games) in Grand Slam Freestyle Tournament, which I don’t think anyone can do except Magnus. So, yeah, it’s just brilliant,” Praggnanandhaa added.
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