After a relentless 2025, R Praggnanandhaa starts classical campaign at Tata Steel Chess with twin defeats and draw

It set Pragg on course for one of his best years on the circuit, which he ended by securing a Candidates spot.

However, in sharp contrast, Praggnandhaa’s started 2026 with two defeats in a row at Wijk, to Erigaisi and Nodirbek Abdusattorov before being held to a draw by Czech Republic’s Thai Dai Van Nguyen, a player who has 102 rating points lesser than the Indian. The three results mean that after the third round, Pragg is at the bottom of the 14-player standings at Wijk aan Zee along with fellow ‘Candidate’ Anish Giri with 0.5 points.

R Praggnanandhaa at the Tata Steel Chess Kolkata. (Express photo | Partha Paul)

For Pragg, who will be mentally steeling himself for the Candidates tournament in just over two months’ time, the results will be alarming. But the two defeats in themselves are not cause for concern yet, believes Grandmaster Srinath Narayanan, who has coached many of India’s top grandmasters besides being the Indian team’s coach at the last Chess Olympiad.

“Obviously, it’s not ideal for Pragg to lose any game. But the two results will have almost no relevance to the Candidates because it’s still a couple of months away. If anything, it will help Pragg get into better shape,” says Srinath, talking to The Indian Express before the draw against Van Nguyen.

1. 01

   India watch at Wijk aan Zee

   World champion Gukesh Dommaraju started the Wijk aan Zee with three draws in a row, the latest being his stalemate against compatriot and fellow inhabitant of the Golden Generation of Indian chess, Arjun Erigaisi. Gukesh had been left frustrated in the first round after letting slip a winning position against World Cup champion Javokhir Sindarov before drawing against Dutchman Jorden van Foreest.

   INTERACTIVE: Gukesh vs Arjun Erigaisi

   Erigaisi, meanwhile, is the top-ranked Indian in the standings with two points which puts him joint tied at the top with four others. After starting his campaign with a crushing defeat over good friend Praggnanandhaa, Erigaisi was held to a draw by Thai Dai Van Nguyen. He also played out a bloodless draw against Gukesh in the third round, to remain undefeated in the tournament.

   The fourth Indian player in the mix in the Masters event, Aravindh Chitambaram, is also unbeaten with three draws in a row against Matthias Bluebaum, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, and Abdusattorov.

   In the Challengers event, FIDE Master Vedant Panesar started with a victory over IM Eline Roebers, before losing the next two games against Chinese IM Lu Miaoyi and Dutch grandmaster Max Warmerdam.

Is Pragg fatigued after relentless 2025?

Srinath points out that considering how much chess Pragg has played over the past year, fatigue might be a factor in the 20-year-old’s results.

During the Global Chess League last month, Pragg had told The Indian Express that he had barely spent any time at home in 2025. He had played in Wijk aan Zee, Prague, Paris, Warsaw, Bucharest, Jermuk (Armenia), Tashkent, Zagreb, Las Vegas, Saint Louis, Samarkand (Uzbekistan), Sao Paulo and London, besides the FIDE World Cup and the GCL in India. “I’ve hardly been home this year. At most, I got two weeks. To me, that’s not really a break, because by the time you feel relaxed, another tournament is there and you have to start playing,” Pragg had said.

He had also spoken about how he had felt “dead” during the UzChess Cup in Tashkent in June when he played for seven hours on the final day before attending the closing ceremony and then immediately flying out for another tournament on the same day.

“There is a factor of tiredness, fatigue in general. He mentioned that he was spending a maximum of 15 days at home last year,” Srinath said. “The mental fatigue catches up with you if you’re constantly playing against such top-level opposition so frequently. Then over a period of time, it starts showing in your play. He hasn’t had a big break. I do feel that there’s an effect of fatigue in Pragg’s recent tournaments.”

Of all tournaments on the chess calendar, Wijk aan Zee is the most unforgiving, as it’s played over 13 rounds and in freezing conditions. Just like last year, Praggnanandhaa will hope for a lucky break or two over the next 11 rounds.