Pragg hopes chess gets noticed more

New Delhi, August 24

Yet to realise the enormity of his achievement, teen sensation R Praggnanandhaa reckoned his incredible run in the FIDE World Cup could force people to “start noticing” Indian chess.

“I feel very good to be in the finals. I didn’t win today, but it’s normal in chess,” Praggnanandhaa said.

As he shook hands with the Magnus Carlsen after the final, Praggnanandhaa was surrounded by a group of children asking for his autograph.

“I think it’s good for the game. I am very happy to see so many people following it,” Praggnanandhaa said. “It (reaching the final) will get more people to play chess and I think in general people will start to notice Indian chess,” he added.

Calm in tie-break

Reflecting on his battle with Carlsen, Praggnanandhaa said, “I was calm. I could have played a bit better in the tie-break. The first game was important, I could have done better.”

Praggnanandhaa’s feat becomes even more remarkable considering the 18-year-old has been on the go for the last two months, playing tournaments. “I have been playing continuous tournaments so I didn’t have much time to train for this event. I had a week to look at my opponents’ games. And then when I came to the event, I didn’t really expect to go into the finals,” he said.

Praggnanandhaa surely deserves rest after such an emotional ride, but the youngster will start preparing for another tournament beginning Monday. “I’m exhausted and I just hope to take some rest now. I have another tournament coming up on Monday,” he said.

Praggnanandhaa’s mother R Nagalakshmi was always present by her son’s side, her radiant smile conveying how proud she was of her son.

“I think family support is very important to succeed in any field,” Praggnanandhaa said. “My family has been very supportive.” — PTI

Road to final

• Round 1: Got a bye
• Round 2: Beat French GM Maxime Lagarde 1.5-0.5
• Round 3: Beat Czech GM David Navara 1.5-0.5
• Round 4: Beat USA’s Hikaru Nakamura 3-1
• Round 5: Beat Hungarian Ferenc Berkes 1.5-0.5
• Quarters: Beat GM Arjun Erigaisi 5-4 in tie-break
• Semis: Beat GM Fabiano Caruana 3.5-2.5 in tie-break