At Candidates, battle-hardened Praggnanandhaa will hope to put recent form behind and make a decisive play to be Gukesh’s challenger

But Pragg did what he had always done and played for a result. And when he left Toronto, he carried with him a full point from the final round, a small reward, perhaps, but it was validation to a mindset that refuses to concede even a single battle, even when the war is already lost. Come 2026, it is that very resolve he will now carry into his second Candidates tournament, but this time as India’s sole standard-bearer.

Praggnanandhaa in action against Gukesh. (Photo credit: FIDE Michal Walusza)

What lies ahead for him is a golden opportunity and with it, the weight of a historic all-Indian world championship final, should he manage to win arguably the toughest event in chess.

Having already played in the Candidates and been a FIDE World Cup finalist as a teenager, Praggnanandhaa is a proven commodity. There is also a certain calm confidence to him. Unlike Gukesh, whose meteoric highs have eclipsed Pragg’s but whose lows have also been far more precipitous, he has built his game on a different foundation. His most reliable weapon is his ability to minimise damage.

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Early in his career, Pragg was never really in the race for ratings. During the COVID-19 break in 2020, Pragg, led by his coach RB Ramesh, ventured into unfamiliar terrain. While his peers were continuing to rack up ratings through open tournaments and climbing the rankings rapidly, Pragg spent his time competing against the world’s best in elite online events. Regular participation in competitions like the Julius Baer Generation Cup, the Champions Chess Tour, and later the Grand Chess Tour meant that the Chennai lad had amassed a wealth of experience playing against top-tier opposition for nearly half a decade by the age of 20.

Though he still belongs to a ‘young generation’ of chess, Praggnanandhaa is certainly not afraid of anyone. While he does not view the likes of Magnus Carlsen, Caruana, or Nakamura as belonging to a superior generation, his philosophy has been to play the game and not the reputation.

“When I play them, I just see them as another player who’s very strong,” Pragg once told The Indian Express.

He added that his approach does not change based on the opponent’s stature. “I see every player as the same. I try to prepare in a way that would suit me when I’m playing them. Playing Magnus is a bit more special because he’s clearly the strongest player now. But if I play, let’s say, Fabi or Arjun (Erigaisi), I don’t think it would matter. For me, I’m playing another strong player, and I just want to give my best.”

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The numbers from the last few months don’t make for pretty reading. A middling sixth-place finish in both the rapid and blitz at Tata Steel Chess India was followed by a gruelling Wijk aan Zee, where Pragg managed just a single win across 13 classical rounds.

So recent form is clearly not something Pragg can draw confidence from. But both these events, in Kolkata and the Netherlands, came against the backdrop of the youngster playing non-stop chess for the last 14 months.

Praggnanandhaa in action against Gukesh. (Photo credit: FIDE Maria Emelianova)

It took a heavy toll on him. While the strategy to just spam every event helped him secure his place at the Cyprus event through the FIDE Circuit rating of 2025, in return, it took a hit on the quality of his game.

That’s where his team stepped in and planned his schedule in a way that gave him a much-needed break before the Candidates. A two-month break is one of the longest stretches Pragg has spent away from the board in a long time, but this gives him the time needed to clear the mental fog before a tournament that will test every fibre of his endurance.

And now, while the weight of expectations is a heavy coat to wear at 20, Pragg doesn’t need to look too far beyond his friend Gukesh, who became a monk to meditate his way to the crowning jewel. As he prepares to walk that path in Cyprus, it’s time for Pragg to add his own chapter to the legacy of the Madras Tiger and the friend who beat him to it.