I've spent the last few months learning from Arjun's games

In an interview to HT, Pragg discusses his friendship with Erigaisi, rise of Indians, and amping up his aggression

- Susan Ninan

BENGALURU: Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu spent the last couple of months focusing on tweaking his mentality and found inspiration in a friend. The 19-year-old had a quiet and somewhat forgettable 2024 and realised his approach perhaps needed an overhaul. A greater degree of ambition, for one.

"I've spent time looking at a lot of Arjun's (Erigaisi) games," Praggnanandhaa told Hindustan Times in an interview. "I tried to learn how he plays and take away something from his games. Being ambitious doesn't have to mean crossing the line. You can be objective. I found many such examples in the games Arjun played last year. He pretty much won everything he played or at least finished in the top three. His style is something that I wanted to incorporate into mine, to find the right balance between my style and his, and try to be universal. That's what I'm trying to do."

Second Indian only

The work he put in on his mentality and game fetched him the biggest tournament win of his career, last weekend in the Dutch coastal village of Wijk aan Zee. The teen defeated reigning world champion Gukesh in the blitz playoffs to become only the second Indian after five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand to win the Tata Steel Masters.