Gukesh-Sindarov title showdown is a ‘next-generation match’, says Praggnanandhaa

Budapest: India’s R Praggnanandhaa is eager to watch the World Championship showdown between reigning champion D Gukesh and Uzbek challenger Javokhir Sindarov, describing the battle as a “next-generation match”.

Both Gukesh and Sindarov are 20 years old, making it the youngest classical World Championship match in chess history. The contest will be held in Geneva from November 24 to December 12.

“I have known both for a long time already; we have grown up together, so I know them well. Personally, it will be interesting for me to see the games and watch them play in the match.

“It’s going to be interesting for all of us, it’s like a next-generation match,” Praggnanandhaa told PTI on the sidelines of the Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot here.

The 21-year-old Praggnanandhaa himself has enjoyed a stellar season, becoming the first Indian to win both Norway Chess and the Grand Chess Tour this year.

While admitting that his recent success has boosted his confidence, Praggnanandhaa said he was not taking anything for granted at the Budapest event, which features a combination of fast classical, rapid and blitz formats.

“For sure, when you have good results, it gives a lot of confidence. But every event is a new one. It’s not given, just because you performed well in a previous tournament, that you’ll perform here.

“And it’s also a unique format, so I think everyone has an equal shot. We’ll see how it goes,” he said.

The Budapest event is a pilot for a proposed Grand Slam-style tour, which will bring together the world’s leading players across three formats to identify the most complete player.

Praggnanandhaa said the pilot would help players understand the demands of the format before the full-fledged tour gets underway next year.

“I think the first thing to prepare is to properly understand the format, which I think I have, sort of. Let’s see. But it’s a pilot event, so it’s good that we have such an event before the actual Tour starts, so we can try all these things out,” he said.

However, he cautioned against drawing conclusions from a single pilot event.

“Only when this event gets over can we understand a lot about these formats. By next year, we’ll get a clearer picture, but one event doesn’t prove too much.

“With the tour that will happen next year, we’ll get a clearer picture of who is a complete player,” he said.

Currently India’s top-ranked player, Praggnanandhaa played down the significance of the No. 1 position, saying the ranking battle between him, Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi has been a constant feature over the past year.

“I don’t really think about it. Me, Gukesh, and Arjun have traded this position a lot over the last year. It keeps going back and forth because the rating system is such that even one game and one mistake contributes to it.

“Even now, the rating gap between me and Arjun is very small, so I’m sure it can even change in this tournament. It’s not something any of us think too much about.

“Obviously, it’s nice… you can say ‘India number one’ and stuff but I don’t really think it matters too much,” he said.

Praggnanandhaa also spoke about the camaraderie among India’s young chess stars, saying their fierce competition over the board does not affect their friendship away from it.

“I think it’s straightforward. When we are on the board, we are going to fight and try to kill each other on the board.

“But when we are off the board, we are good friends and we like to hang out with each other.

“We are like any other friends. So yeah, I think it’s good to have such things because after all, it’s just one game that we are going to play on the board,” he said.

Having had some memorable battles with five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen in the past, Praggnanandhaa is also excited at the prospect of facing the World No. 1 Norwegian GM here, though the two are placed in different groups in the ongoing event.

“Every time, I’m just excited to play him. It’s not an opportunity that you get often. I don’t know if I’ll get to play him in this tournament since we are in different groups, but whenever I get a chance, I’m always excited,” he added.