If chess were to name a year after a player, 2025 might well be the ‘Year of Pragg’. The youngster has won three top competitions and was in contention in most of the events he didn’t win. R Praggnanandhaa did not just take the stage by storm with his innovations and powers of calculation. He showed he has added solidity to his game and he can do it day in and day out.
The FIDE World Cup in Goa from October 31 to November 27 completes a mini-circle. It was at this event in 2023 that Pragg announced himself on the big stage when he was 18. Expectations heightened by that giant-killing spree and the runner-up finish behind Magnus Carlsen were not fully met in the immediate aftermath. There were flashes of brilliance, but he was not the same player at the Candidates and Olympiad, where the Indian team struck gold. By his standards, Pragg had fallen. That dip in 2024 makes this resurgence remarkable. Now, he is returning to the tournament that made him as one of the favourites.
“I wasn’t able to win as many games as I would have liked (last year), but I’m much more confident now and much more ambitious than earlier. And, hopefully, I’ll make it to the Candidates,” Pragg was quoted as saying by PTI in June. “For me, it’s about winning tournaments, which is more special. And I try to take one tournament at a time. And when I do well, I’m just happy about it. So that’s all that matters for me.”
The Chennai star said elsewhere that he had tweaked his game without elaborating. There are two parts to what he said. Candidates first. Pragg has almost qualified for the 2026 edition. He is the runaway leader in the FIDE Circuit 2025. The topper qualifies for the eight-player tournament. He can seal it in Goa itself, since the World Cup offers three Candidates berths. The last time he made it to the competition that selects the challenger to the world champion was through the 2023 World Cup.
Playing to win, not just to improve
The other part is more meaningful. Pragg said ‘it’s about winning tournaments’. He didn’t say his goal is to play well without thinking of the result. There was no talk about the process. Pragg wants to win. No ambiguity there. This lack of inhibition sets him apart as a person and as a competitor. In the past, his overdrive to win sometimes proved counterproductive. He lost when he could have at least drawn. A few sessions with coach RB Ramesh seems to have addressed this issue.
It’s not that he has become unbeatable. That’s not possible. In his only ordinary outing of the year — Grand Swiss Open in Uzbekistan — he lost twice. There were defeats also in the tournaments he won. On the other hand, apart from claiming three titles, the player who turned 20 in August finished tied first in two events. On tie-breaker, he finished second in both. Before Grand Swiss, his worst was tied for second at Prague Masters. He settled for fourth on tie-breaker. That’s consistency driven by hunger.
Seeing peers overtake you is not easy, especially for a teenager. Pragg was buried under the achievements of D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi last year. He used that as a tool to reignite. Without compromising his attacking instincts, he devised methods to defend under pressure. There is a noticeable difference between the number of games he lost last year and in 2025. When he lost, it didn’t take long to bounce back. Two of the titles he won came in tie-breakers, after he surrendered the lead in the last round.
A career-best world ranking of four and Elo rating of 2785 (achieved in September, it’s 2771 now) are parameters of progress. These figures don’t reflect mindset. At this level, all are skilful. Approach makes the difference when it comes to equals, and that’s what Pragg is demonstrating. Can his year get even better?
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