INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Chess is a game of hidden joy
Not totally surprising that a person named Praggnanandhaa (let's call him Prag henceforth) is giving joy to millions of chess followers,
majority of them Indians, through his imagination, intelligence and giant-killing run in the World Cup
Prag celebrated his 18th birthday at the ongoing event in Baku.Read AlsoAbility to defend in precarious game situations is hallmark of
Praggnanandhaa's talent: India coach M Shyam SundarR Praggnanandhaa's ability to defend seamlessly in pressure situations and the
deductive mind to quickly gauge his opponent's weakness is the hallmark of a world class player, national coach GM M Shyam Sundar said on
Tuesday.Charge of the knight brigade: Indian teens storm global chessThere are four Indian juniors in the World Open top 50
Gukesh is at No.8 (live rating of 2758.4), No.23 is R Praggnanandhaa (2720.8), Arjun Erigaisi (2712) is at No.30 and Nihal Sarin at No.42
Along with Raunak Sadhwani, Leon Luke Mendonca and Aaditya Dhingra, there are seven IndiansPraggnanandhaa to battle King Carlsen for World
chess crownOn August 10, R Praggnanandhaa celebrated his 18th birthday
Barely 10 days later, the Chennai boy scaled a peak achieved by only a select few in chess history - and only one Indian, Viswanathan Anand,
before him - storming into the World Cup final on Monday and setting up a dream date with No
1It's a special kind of support: Garry Kasparov hails Praggnanandhaa, motherIndian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa's incredible run in the
Chess World Cup has reminded the legendary Garry Kasparov of his time as the king of 64 squares.A minor challenger turning a major threat as
he has reached the title clash.When the Chennai lad, from the stable of coach RB Ramesh, became the then youngest ever International Master
(IM) aged 10 years 10 months and 19 days in 2016, expecting greatness from him was not out of order
But then, the talent if not groomed properly, can go haywire
Spotlight can do funny things to delicate minds
In hindsight, Prag not becoming the youngest ever GM was a blessing in disguise
Steady progress is always more long-lasting than faster growth, though it has its own heartburn
Timing is everything in life
And sport cannot be an exception to it
The simmering chess boom in India was given a boost by the pandemic situation that opened competitive chess online, allowing youngsters to
rub shoulders with the elite players and win huge prize money
The stars were clearly aligned.When Anand came under the spotlight in the late 80s, he was the lone Indian
Prag had many more Indians for company
The focus was not entirely on him
That must have helped, including in this knockout World Cup
Pairing against close friend Arjun Erigaisi to seal the semis spot and with that virtually sealing the Candidates spot must have helped too
When a battle is between the two Indians with one's progress assured, a weight of nation's expectations is almost taken out of the
When you hunt in a group, you are more likely to succeed
Chinese badminton players and table tennis players did that
VISIT: https://timesofabetterindia.com/unstoppable21Yes, chess is an individual game
Relations like seconds, trainers, playing partners, advisors are formed while chasing excellence and favourable results in the cerebral
Former seven-time national champion Pravin Thipsay believes that the Chess Olympiad in Mamallapuram last year was a watershed moment in the
evolution of the 64-square game in India
(P Harikrishna, Vidit Gujrathi, SL Narayanan, K Saskiran and Erigaisi Arjun) and 14th seed Uzbekistan winning the team gold medal, it makes
a huge impact on the belief system of the players," Thipsay told TOI.The Olympiad and the camps associated with it also gave a sense of team
spirit to a majority of core Indian talent
Confidence is a performance-enhancing drug which can be detected in your breathing pattern
1 Hou Yifan of China says "winning" doesn't equate to "dominance"
Indeed, a very few world chess champions managed to create an aura about them due to their undoubted superiority over the rest of field
Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen certainly belong to this rarest breed
Carlsen over the board, they are scared, feel inferior and lost in spirit
Imagine Prag's confidence level as he has defeated Carlsen five times, albeit only in shorter time controls or online chess and never in
the standard time control, loosely referred to as the classical format.It also helps that Carlsen and Prag were team-mates during the recent
Global Chess League in Dubai playing for Alpine Warriors
Even D Gukesh and Arjun were a part of the same team
The experience that they have got from picking the brains of a player who is No
1 for 12 successive years has been invaluable
Prag is not a strong, ruthless personality going by the body language
But like the original Madras Tiger (V Anand) he can be quite mean on the board
Unless you know Prag well, you can't judge his feelings/mood
And chess players rely on clues over the board to understand the game situation better
They don't have the aid of computer engines like 'armchair experts'
Keeping an impregnable face comes naturally to Prag
And that's a huge asset in this sport which thrives on psychology
The family support to Prag has been invaluable
Kasparov and Anand have openly talked about the huge contribution from their mothers in their progress
World champion Ding Liren's mother, whose presence motivated him during his winning campaign, is a nurse
And Prag's mom Nagalakshmi had two chess kids to deal with
Prag's sister R Vaishali is an International Master (IM)
Players go through huge ups and downs in knockout events
Either a single wrong/unwanted word or exaggerated silence from the near ones can put the players off or make them lose focus
There is a picture of Prag's mom during the ongoing World Cup in Baku
The spectators are waiting to see players (including her son) as they are about to enter the playing hall from their enclosure
And there she is, waiting to get a last glimpse of her son before he goes into the battlefield
A story goes of Tiger Woods' dad standing among the spectators as his son was about to land on the golf course to tee off during a major
They didn't even make eye contact
And his dad was fine with it
Even Kasparov is keeping an eye on the chemistry between Prag and his mom which is being tweeted through pictures
As someone whose proud mama accompanied me to every event, it's a special kind of support! The Chennai Indian defeated two New York
who are more experienced and deemed stronger.04:35Chess World Cup: Indian Grandmaster heads to World Cup finals; beats World No
3 Fabiano CaruanaDespite his highly creditable run to the final, Prag is not yet a fearsome player in classical chess
His opening repertoire is not fully loaded yet
And let us not forget that he is not a national champion yet
Thankfully, even Prag is aware that he has enjoyed some lucky breaks and there is a lot of work to be done before he can be a serious
contender for the World Championship
But there is no denying that he is top-notch blitz, rapid and online player in which mistakes happen more frequently from both
sides.03:17Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa stuns Caruana, set to clash with Carlsen in finalIn January 2016, he was rated Elo 2177
Exactly a year later, he was an IM rated 2437
After being at 2608 in Jan 2021, the pandemic-induced break reduced his classical activity
But he has still added 100-plus more points in less than three years playing just over 200 games
The current wave in Indian chess and the wind that Prag has got just indicates that the possibilities are limitless.WatchGrandmaster
Praggnanandhaa stuns Caruana, set to clash with Carlsen in final
