2026 is a year of major opportunities for Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa. As the sole Indian representative at the 2026 Candidates tournament, he will fight for a World Championship challenger spot against compatriot D Gukesh. The potential rivals will also join forces to defend India’s gold medal at the Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan.
After dominating the first half of 2025 with wins at the Tata Steel Masters, the Superbet Chess Classic Romania, and the Uzchess Cup, along with a joint-first finish at the Stepan Avagyan Memorial and the Sinquefield Cup, his momentum slowed toward the end of the year. As a big hope at the Grand Chess Tour finals, the World Cup in Goa, and the World Rapid and Blitz Championship last year, Praggnanandhaa underperformed relative to his own high standards.
So, heading towards the Candidates, momentum is definitely not on Pragg’s side. While he says it’s not a bothersome sign even as things are closer to the World Championship challenger event than ever before, he agrees that continuous play has hampered the overall quality of his games and, thus, his results as well.
Asked if he is worried, he said: “No, not really. I’m not thinking about the Candidates. It’s certainly my play; it’s not on the same level as it used to be. Lately, I haven’t played up to my best. So, there are certainly areas to work on. I believe it’s partially due to playing continuous tournaments. There’s just no time to even think about what’s going on. But I think the chess calendar is such that the important tournaments just keep coming.”
India’s R Praggnanandhaa thinks about his next move during a game in Tata Steel Chess India in Kolkata. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
Praggnanandhaa endured a gruelling schedule in 2025, competing in nearly every major event. This was partly due to his pursuit of points on the FIDE Circuit rating leaderboard. A chase that ultimately helped him secure his Candidates’ qualification, but the wear and tear is now visible in his recent performances.
At the Rapid segment of the 2026 Tata Steel Chess India in Kolkata, Praggnanandhaa finished sixth with 4.5 points in a field of 10 players and never seemed to fight for the title. He began the Blitz event with a loss to Hans Moke Niemann and Aravindh Chithambaram on Saturday. He drew with Volodar Murzin and Wei Yi before being handed his third loss of the day by Nihal Sarin. A draw against Viswanathan Anand, a win over Arjun Erigaisi, and shared spoils with Wei Yi ended the day for him.
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He believes his game quality was overall higher compared to his last few events, like the World Rapid and Blitz Championship. “I think the game quality was much better than in previous tournaments, certainly better than in the match I played in the first half of the year. But also, it’s a completely different tournament; it’s Rapid and Blitz, so mistakes tend to happen. I don’t know. Somehow today, I didn’t feel like I was fully there. Something was off. Hopefully, I’ll play better tomorrow,” he said after Day 1 of the Blitz event.
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Heading into the all-important Candidates tournament, Praggnanandhaa will have a much-needed two-month break in February and March after his appearance at the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk aan Zee. The 21-year-old is planning to regroup and utilise the long break to bring out his best in Cyprus. He said, “After Wijk aan Zee, I have my calendar free for February and March before the Candidates. So I’ll have time to prepare. It’s good to have a break before the Candidates, as I have been playing a lot. It’s certainly an important year for everyone. It’s the Candidates and World Championship year, so I’ll be focusing on it and trying to give my best.”
The Toronto Candidates tournament in 2024 was a mixed bag for Praggnanandhaa, where he lost three games, won as many, and drew in eight matches to finish fifth in an extremely strong field of eight players.
