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Praggnanandhaa, and the lull before and after the storm

June 3, 2024
Atreyo Mukhopadhyay

[Credit: PhotoChess]. By defeating the World No. 1, Magnus Carlsen, and World No. 2, Fabiano Caruana, he has achieved something extraordinary.
Confidence manifests itself in several ways. For some, it’s a triumphant expression, an announcement of aggro, outrageous body language and all that. For some others, it’s just a quiet chuckle and perhaps a few muted words, with no outward sign of belligerence.

Still to turn 19 and having already taken the chess world by storm, R Praggnanandhaa clearly belongs to the second category. With him, it’s always a period of lull — before and after the storm. He goes there, messes up reputations and comes back saying with disbelieving nonchalance that he believes he can do it. There is no trace of chest thumping or fist pumping.

Pragg is placed third in the Norway Chess tournament featuring the very elite of the game and he may not win it. Still, by defeating the World No. 1, Magnus Carlsen, and World No. 2, Fabiano Caruana, he has achieved something extraordinary. Comparisons are misleading, but it’s tempting to say that this is the equivalent of a tennis player ranked around 15th in the world taking down Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at their peak in the same tournament.

“I kind of feel that I have enough experience at this level and I can beat these players, but I have to play my best for that and that’s what I’m trying to do. That’s the kind of mindset,” he was quoted as saying by chess websites after beating Carlsen. Those who have heard him can tell that he sounds almost apologetic when he says these things.

It’s possible that the volume of calculations, permutations and combinations going on inside his head is so much that he doesn’t have time for words. Talking is not his job. It’s also possible that he so supremely confident that he makes these things sound so incredibly simple. In all likelihood, Pragg’s ability to remain unfazed is a combination of the two.

Irrespective of where he finishes in Norway Chess being played in Stavanger, Pragg has ticked a major box by registering a first-ever win against Carlsen in the classical format. Ever since dethroning Viswanathan Anand as the world champion in Chennai in 2013, the Norwegian had remained insurmountable for Indian players. They beat everybody but invariably lost when it came to Carlsen. Pragg’s victory over one of the greatest in history will remove that mental block.

That way, it was not just a victory in a game of chess. It was the outcome of dedicated hard work featuring some of India’s and the world’s top chess brains. Pragg’s win is not a case in isolation. D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and Vidit Gujrathi have also created ripples across the board in recent times. The conquest of Carlsen is a continuation of that process aimed at excellence.

There is no doubt more will come. Not everybody will beat Carlsen every day, but collectively, they will cement their place among the chess elites. Gukesh and Erigaisi are already in the top-10. Pragg is on his way there. The oldest of them, Erigaisi, will turn 21 in September. The charge of this youth brigade will only become stronger. And be sure, it will happen in a quiet and understated manner.