CHENNAI: Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa left 2024 behind with a tinge of disappointment. But he started the new year with a bang, toppling newly-crowned world champion and compatriot D Gukesh in tie-breakers to claim his maiden Tata Steel Chess title in Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands. In doing so, he became only the second Indian to win the prestigious event, after Viswanathan Anand.
After finishing runner-up in the 2023 World Cup, the 19-year-old’s form took a hit in 2024. Pragg finished fifth at the Candidates Tournament but played a key role in India’s gold at the Budapest Chess Olympiad. However, his loss to USA’s Wesley So in the penultimate round ended India’s unbeaten run in the Open section.
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“It feels really good because I didn’t have a great end to 2024. I was highly motivated for this event and worked hard with my coach RB Ramesh sir. I think my efforts paid off, and I’m very happy that I managed to start the year with such a result,” Pragg told reporters after receiving a warm welcome from Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) officials at the Chennai Airport on Tuesday.
Pragg’s victory at Tata Steel Chess was shaped by a mix of his brilliance and besides ‘lucky’ contributions from his Olympiad gold-winning squad members. Arjun Erigaisi’s win over Gukesh in the final round pushed the latter into tie-breaks, while Pentala Harikrishna’s draw with Nodirbek Abdusattorov kept the Uzbek GM out of the playoffs.
But it wasn’t just in one way that Pragg’s teammates played roles in his run to the crown.
When asked how he motivated himself after a challenging period, the Chennai boy said: “The results of other Indian chess players, like Gukesh winning the World Championship or Arjun Erigaisi crossing 2800 (Elo rating in classical chess), have definitely inspired me to work harder and keep going. That is one of the reasons, but not the only one. I was not really happy with my game quality, and I wanted to play better. I knew I could, and that’s what kept me going. So, I kept practising.”
With the big victory, Pragg earned 25 circuit points, placing him second on the 2025 FIDE circuit leaderboard – an important step toward qualifying for the Candidates Tournament next year. Pragg said while the win was significant, there’s still a long road ahead. “It’s still the start of the year. Many huge tournaments are coming up in 2025, like the World Cup and Grand Swiss, and all these are very important for Candidates qualification. Still, this win is important for my confidence because I wasn’t happy with my games in the last few months, whereas I was satisfied with all the games I played at Tata Steel Chess.”
‘Great that two Chennai boys played the final’
In the intense final moments, the two Chennai boys, Pragg and Gukesh, fiercely vied for the title. “At the end of the day, the title came to our city, so that’s a proud feeling. It was nice to have two Chennai boys in the final. Huge congratulations to him (Gukesh) as well; he played really well. After the match, we spoke a bit about our game, but both of us were exhausted after such a long day,” said Pragg, who will next compete at the Prague Masters, scheduled from Feb 25 to March 7.