Chess | India no. 1 R Praggnanandhaa makes honest admission: ‘It’s difficult to play classical’ | Chess News

R Praggnanandhaa (Image credit score: X)

NEW DELHI: Teen Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa believes the gradual shift of elite gamers like Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura away from classical chess is essentially due to the psychological and bodily fatigue related to the longer format. Both Carlsen, a five-time world champion, and world No.2 Nakamura have more and more opted for freestyle, fast, and blitz codecs over conventional classical occasions.Praggnanandhaa, who has already claimed three main classical titles in 2024—the Tata Steel Masters, Superbet Classic, and Uz Chess Cup—feels that the extraordinary preparation required for classical video games is a key issue behind the rising desire for sooner codecs.“It’s difficult to play classical chess because everyone is well prepared… the opening preparation part is huge in classical chess. If you compare it to freestyle, you don’t have to prepare before a game, while in classical chess, you’re basically forced to.“I do not suppose anybody really enjoys that course of, however you are pressured to and you’ve got to have a plan for all the pieces. That requires a number of effort,” he explained.The 19-year-old from Chennai also pointed out the toll that repeated classical tournaments can take on a player’s mind and body.

“And while you play a number of such tournaments, then your vitality can be (drained)… I imply you can even be mentally and bodily exhausted. So all these items occur. I feel that is the explanation why everybody prefers different codecs,” he mentioned.

Praggnanandhaa admitted he personally enjoys freestyle and rapid formats more, though he still views classical as the foundation of serious chess.“I imply, I personally like freestyle rather more due to the truth that you do not have to put together earlier than a sport. That does not imply we do not need to work on (our) chess. We take pleasure in engaged on chess.“But the fact that you have to (put endless hours in preparations)… you’re forced to do before the game like three-four hours of preparation, then it’s not really something that everyone enjoys. So yeah, I like freestyle. I like rapid and it’s a bit more than classical for sure. But I think classical is still the main thing.”He additionally credited the Adani group for supporting his progress as an expert participant over the previous 18 months.“Adani Sportsline have been supporting me for the last one-and-a-half years already. And it’s quite important because we do travel a lot and training is also expensive than what people think,” mentioned Praggnanandhaa.“For example, last year, I played in the Candidates, which required a team to help and then also like in-person camps. So all these things require support and that’s where I think the Adani group has been supporting me in a huge way.“And they have been additionally there once I did not have (a great) final yr; they have been there supporting me all through. So, yeah, an enormous thanks to them.”