In Goa, in the first half of November. London after that. Mumbai and Doha in December. Kolkata in the first and second week of January. Then off to Wijk Aan Zee in the Netherlands for an event starting on January 16.
This is a small chunk from the itinerary of R Praggnanandhaa. He was crisscrossing the globe before November as well, to ensure qualification for the 2026 Candidates. That done, the chess star from Chennai hasn’t been able to think about the competition yet. Until Wijk Aan Zee — where he will try to defend his crown at the Tata Masters — he can’t do that.
“There’s just no time to even think about what’s going on,” Pragg said during Tata Steel Chess India in Kolkata. “I haven’t started preparing for Candidates yet. I’ve been playing a lot of tournaments. I’ll do it (start preparing) once I finish my tournaments that have been lined up already.”
The crazy schedule prompted Pragg to say in an interview with FIDE that players should start utilising playing time or game time for training and preparation purposes. What he meant was, because there is no time after games and travel, playing has to become an extension of preparing or practising.
“Because we play so much, we are preparing all the time. We’re involved with the game. That way, it’s training,” said the player, who won four tournaments in 2025 and made the Candidates cut by topping the FIDE Circuit list by a mile. “But obviously, training at home is completely different. You can work on your weakness and strength. You have time to go through what’s going on with your game in depth,”
It’s a complex calendar also because of the different formats. In addition to classical, rapid and blitz, freestyle chess is gaining in currency. There are new leagues offering attractive prize money and new chains of tournaments. An elite player in demand, Pragg hardly has time to unpack.
“I think at this point, it depends on the player, which one you want to play and which one you want to skip,” said the 20-year-old. He has decided to stop playing after Wijk Aan Zee. That gives him less than two months for the Candidates to be played in Cyprus from March 26.
This glob-trotting in pursuit of Candidates came at a cost. In sparkling form in the first half of last year, Pragg seemed somewhat jaded afterwards. Even at the ongoing Tata Steel rapid and blitz in Kolkata, he has been off-colour. His graph dipped towards the end of 2025. After losing in the fourth round of the World Cup in Goa, he had to scamper to London to play an open tournament to secure passage to Cyprus.
“The calendar is such that important tournaments just keep coming,” said the world No. 8. “Lately I haven’t played up to my best. There are certainly areas to work on. I think it’s partially due to playing continuous tournaments. There’s just no time to even think about what’s going on.”
This whistle-stop tour of the world will get over with the completion of the Wijk Aan Zee competition on February 1. About six weeks to get in tune for the 14-round Candidates doesn’t sound ideal enough. But Pragg has bitten the bullet. A contemporary chess player raring to go at the top level has to know how to be ready on the go.
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