Daijiworld Media Network - Cyprus
Cyprus, Oct 5: Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa has continued to build on a strong year despite falling short of the title at the 2026 Candidates Tournament in Cyprus, with major victories at Norway Chess and the Grand Chess Tour highlighting his progress.
Praggnanandhaa was India's sole representative in the open section of the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus earlier this year. Although he did not win the event, his quality of play remained high and he carried that form into subsequent tournaments.
At Norway Chess, Praggnanandhaa staged a remarkable comeback after being placed last at one stage. He defeated five-time world champion and world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen twice on his home soil and became the first Indian to win the prestigious tournament in June.
He later became the first Indian to win the Grand Chess Tour, strengthening his position as India's Board 1 player ahead of the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Praggnanandhaa finished the Olympiad with three wins from 10 games, scoring 6.5 points and earning an individual bronze medal. India finished with silver and bronze medals in the team events.
Indian team captain Srinath Narayanan said Praggnanandhaa's score did not fully reflect the quality of his performance, noting that he created winning chances in several games and rarely appeared to be in danger of losing.
The Olympiad was also physically demanding for several members of the Indian contingent. Praggnanandhaa said he was recovering after suffering from a cold and fever during the latter part of the tournament.
He dismissed food, travel and weather conditions as possible reasons, saying the illness appeared to have been a viral infection spreading among players. He added that the Indian team received good support from the All India Chess Federation and the Uzbekistan Chess Federation, including arrangements for Indian food.
Reflecting on his own performance, Praggnanandhaa said he was generally satisfied with his play but felt he could have converted one or two more winning opportunities. He specifically recalled missing a completely winning position against Spain's Anton.
On India's silver-medal finish, Praggnanandhaa said it was a good result despite the team's ambition to repeat its previous year's gold-medal success.
He identified India's match against defending champions Uzbekistan as the decisive encounter. According to him, the match was closely fought and India's players were performing well before an unfortunate queen blunder by Nihal Sarin changed the outcome.
Praggnanandhaa said such mistakes can happen even to the world's top players and praised the Indian team for staying together and recovering from the setback.
Looking back at the Candidates Tournament, Praggnanandhaa admitted that the result had been disappointing but said his subsequent performances had helped him move on.
"It’s been good these last few months. But obviously, I think the crucial tournament was the Candidates Tournament, which was a disappointment. After that, I felt my play has generally been good," he said.
"I've been playing how I want to play. I've been enjoying playing the games, and I think it's also showing in the results."
He said the Candidates setback does not weigh heavily on him anymore, although qualifying for the world championship remains an important long-term goal.
Praggnanandhaa's next assignments include Clutch Chess in the United States from October 27, followed by the Total Chess World Championship Tour pilot event in Budapest on November 10.
With a successful run at several major tournaments behind him, the 21-year-old grandmaster will now look to build on his recent form as he continues his pursuit of the biggest titles in world chess.