Pressure will be higher in Candidates, says grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa

Pressure will be higher in Candidates, says grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: One of the brightest stars of Indian chess, R Praggnanandhaa, is gearing up for the biggest challenge of his career in five months’ time when he takes part in the Candidates Chess tournament in Toronto. However, the 18-year-old isn’t in a tearing hurry to start preparations for the tournament that will decide the Challenger for the World Chess Championship.

“I don’t have great expectations. I just want to give my best. If I play well throughout the tournament, I think it’s possible to win it. This is my first time at the Candidates Chess, hence the pressure is higher than what I am facing right now. It will be a very good experience,” Praggnanandhaa told TOI on the sidelines of Che Chess Festival organised by the state government on Monday.

“There is still time for the tournament so we have not discussed much about the strategies or the kind of play I should focus on,” he added.

The Chennai lad feels that before an important event like Candidates Chess, he needs to fine tune his game with his support team. “Before taking a flight to Canada, I’ll be competing in some strong events in January. I’m working towards the ultimate goal of becoming a World Champion like any sportsman,” he said.

He added that he was elated when his sister R Vaishali sealed her berth for the women’s Candidates Tournament. “I think she is capable of pulling out some surprises in the tournament.”

Praggnanandhaa also reflected on his performance against Magnus Carlsen in the final of FIDE World Cup in August. “On the whole, I enjoyed the championship. It was exciting for a major part of the tournament. The difference between me and Magnus was in tie-breakers, where the five-time world champion naturally has rich experience. That was the difference. However, I learnt a lot from Magnus, for sure,” he insisted.

He also had a piece of advice for the upcoming chess talents in Kerala. “Enjoy the game and always have a hunger to play. Give your best always, particularly when you compete and never bother about results.”

Pragg beats Sarin

Earlier, in a 10-round blitz format held as part of the Che International Chess Festival, Praggnanandhaa registered a 7.5 to 2.5 points victory over Grandmaster Nihal Sarin. The fourth and ninth rounds went beyond 80 moves while the seventh took only 29 moves.

Later in the afternoon, 24 Kerala players also matched their wits against Praggnanandhaa and Nihal in a Classical format giving them an exposure to higher standards of the game.

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