Praggnanandhaa wants more corporate support for chess players

Warsaw: Young Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa on Friday called for a robust financial backing for chess, debunking the common concept that players require minimal monetary support to train and excel in the sport.

Praggnanandhaa recently competed in the FIDE Candidates in Toronto for the first time and he is currently participating in the Rapid and Blitz Poland, a part of the Grand Chess Tour.

"Chess training may look easy and cheap but it's a very expensive sport due to all the travel and paraphernalia. That's why I am grateful for the support (from Adani Group). The training camps cost a lot," said the 18-year-old.

Praggnanandhaa, who has risen rapidly in the last couple of years and has beaten some of the best in the business, including Magnus Carlsen, highlighted the need for corporates to come forward to support chess.

"It could have been hard to participate in top-tier international tournaments because they can be quite expensive. My parents were facing financial issues before I got my first sponsor."

"It was difficult because my sister was also playing and travelling. This is why corporate sponsors are essential for sports," Praggnanandhaa, whose elder sister R Vaishali finished joint runner-up in the FIDE Women's Candidates in Toronto, said in a release from the Adani Group.

The Chennai teenager also said to play 14 rounds of chess a player needed to be in the best physical shape, and he plays badminton and beach volleyball to maintain fitness.

"To prepare for Candidates, I was doing physical sports. I was also doing exercise during the camps. We are allocated a certain time for physical training, apart from the actual chess training. I love playing badminton. Recently, I started playing beach volleyball." A single round of chess can become a slugfest, lasting 5-6 hours and it is natural even for a talent like Praggnanandhaa to feel drained physically and mentally.

"You need to be ready for long tournaments because playing 14 games is not easy. Keeping focus throughout is something we are working on."

"Also, 14 games are very tiring. The physical aspect comes when you're playing one game for 5-6 hours. If you do that for the whole tournament, it's obviously very tiring to concentrate; it takes a lot of energy," he said.

D Gukesh might have won the Candidates to set up a world title clash with China's Ding Liren, but Praggnanandhaa said he learned plenty of lessons on handling pressure from the tournament.

"The experience was very good. It is a big tournament where the pressure is huge. In terms of the result, I played better than I scored. I must learn from what went wrong and focus on future tournaments," he said.

Praggnanandhaa has a packed calendar starting with the ongoing Rapid and Blitz Poland, after which he will compete in the Superbet Romania classical tournament and the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz, among others.

The Chennai youngster said he is looking forward to a successful season.

"The Grand Chess Tour starts with the Rapid and Blitz tournament in Poland. Then there is the Superbet Romania classical tournament from June 24 to July 6. The Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz in August will be followed by the Sinquefield Cup, which is a classical tournament."

"This will be my first time (on the tour), so I am very excited. Apart from that, I'm also playing the Norway Chess in May and the Real Masters in Switzerland." Praggnanandhaa said he has been concentrating on the technical aspects of the game for the grind.

"There are a few things that go into preparing for big tournaments, starting with the technical aspect. You must be ready with opening ideas and your mind should be ready to calculate and play well," he said.