“Chess training may look easy and cheap but it's a very expensive sport” - R Praggnanandhaa opens up on the need for corporate support

Indian grandmaster from Chennai, R Praggnanandhaa, has stressed the importance of having corporate support for chess players to perform well on the world stage. Praggnanandhaa, who was part of his first FIDE Candidates recently, is competing in the Rapid and Blitz tournament in Poland.

The 18-year-old stated that his journey can only be successful if there is a strong support system backing him. Thankfully, the Adani Group came in as a strong source of support for the Indian grandmaster, whose family members were not financially strong enough to support him and his sister.

“The Adani Group has been amazing. 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. The training camps cost a lot. Thanks to the Adani Group, we don't have to worry too much about that, and I can focus on playing chess,” Praggnanandhaa said.

Furthermore, he emphasized that it could have been tough for him to compete across the world without the support he received from the Adani Group. Notably, R Praggnanandhaa and his sister Vaishali are the first brother-sister duo to earn the Grandmaster title.

“Without the Adani Group, 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 like the Adani Group are essential for sports,” Praggnanandhaa added.

“I must learn from what went wrong” - R Praggnanandhaa

Later, the Tamil Nadu chess star opened up on his experience from the recently concluded FIDE Candidates tournament. He insisted on putting up a better show in the upcoming tournaments by learning from what went wrong for him.

R Praggnanandhaa settled for the fifth position in the final standings with his fellow compatriot Vidit Gujrathi taking the sixth position. Another Chennai-born GM Gukesh D bagged the Candidates title.

“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,” Pragg stated.

R Praggnanandhaa is excited and eager to participate at the highest levels of the game. As of now, R Praggnanandhaa is in Poland, competing in the Rapid and Blitz competition. Later, he will be a part of Romania's classical campaign in June and July.

In August, he will be a part of the Rapid and Blitz competition and Sinquefield Cup, which is a classical tournament. Furthermore, he will also be a part of the Norway Chess tournament and Real Masters in May 2024.

With three months of touring and tournaments, Praggnanandhaa also talked about the physical and mental regimen that helps him perform. Moreover, he stressed upon how he takes up other sports to keep his mind and body fresh.