'More Than Losses, I'm Upset If I Don't Play Well'

India's highest-ranked player and chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa on winning three titles this year, the Anand effect, and having Magnus Carlsen's number (or not)

- By KATHAKALI CHANDA

Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa is a fan of Olympic javelin champion Neeraj Chopra.

“He finishes first or second in all major events. That’s some consistency,” he says.

Much like Chopra can land a javelin with laser precision, Praggnanandhaa—Pragg to the chess world—too, can slay on the chess board. All of 20, the youngster from Chennai has beaten Magnus Carlsen, the five-time world champion and the World No 1, multiple times across formats. The last two came back-to-back at the Las Vegas Freestyle tournament in July, where Pragg, World No 4 and junior World No 1, outwitted the Norwegian Grandmaster twice within three days. Pragg, though, doesn’t read much into it. He beat me right after, he says. “Not like I win against him all the time.”

In Mumbai on a lightning visit, he sat down with Forbes India to discuss his purple patch this year, his strategy for high-octane games, and motoring on through exhaustion. Edited excerpts:

You've had a great 2025, winning three tournaments, beating Magnus Carlsen twice in just the first half. What have you done differently?

Nothing special. I’ve just been believing in myself and trying to win every game I play. Being more ambitious is the key. Which means playing a solid game, trying to push till the end, trying to play for tournament victories.

You did that really well this year, starting with the Tata Steel Masters, where you defeated world champion D Gukesh in the final and became the first Indian since Viswanathan Anand in 2006 to win the prestigious title.

Yes, the first half of the year has gone well. The win at the Tata Steel Masters was quite important. But more than the wins, it’s important for me that I play well. And I’m happy with the quality of my game.

In your career, you’ve beaten Carlsen multiple times across formats. How do you prepare for high-stakes games against top-rated opponents like him?