Beating Magnus Carlsen in a game of chess is no child’s play. But an Indian teen prodigy did manage to trump the world champion not just once, but more than that.
It was only last August when Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, 17, beat Carlsen thrice on the trot during the FTX Crypto Cup in Miami.
That’s indeed a big achievement for Praggnanandhaa, who at 12 had become one of the youngest Grandmasters. But what matters even more for this youngster is the “psychological edge” he has been able to gain after those wins over Carlsen.
In other words, that has been a big learning for Praggnanandhaa. “I think knowing that you can beat all those players is something that you need to know, because beating them gives you a psychological edge,” Praggnanandhaa, who was in the city to participate in the recently-concluded Tata Steel Chess India, told The Telegraph.
“These games were very important for me also in terms of handling pressure. Also, in general, it’s a very good experience to play such players every month and it has definitely improved my game,” he emphasised.
Getting the Arjuna at such a young age is another huge motivation for Praggnanandhaa. “Obviously, it’s a good thing for me. It’s good for the sport as well, as someone from the discipline got the Arjuna after nine years,” he said.
Praggnanandhaa’s next challenge is the World Rapid and Blitz Championship in Kazakhstan beginning on December 26. He will be accompanied in the competition by D. Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin among others, all of whom are under the aegis of the WestBridge Anand Chess Academy (WACA), which was founded by Viswanathan Anand.
The victories over Carlsen should help Praggnanandhaa build on his strengths, believes Anand. “The important thing is to know that it is possible to beat the best and something within their reach. Now they need to build on their strengths so that they can do it more consistently,” Anand said.
Asked about the areas where these youngsters need to improve, Anand explained: “Well, actually there are lots of areas. Improving in your strongest areas as you can keep learning is the only attitude you should be having.
“If you ever get the feeling, ‘okay, I know this and I am confident and don’t need to bother revising it’, you will find that mistakes start creeping in a little bit and you lose the pace. It’s healthy to have the attitude that you have to always learn something. You have to keep on working.”