Pragg, Vishy & A Revolution

Our latest teen chess sensation is one demonstration of the Indian chess wave

- Jaideep Unudurti

This week saw a bridge between two chess generations, from 52 to 16. In Warsaw, at the Superbet tournament, Viswanathan Anand executed brilliance on the board, winning the rapid section with a flourish. Many of his rivals were not even born when he turned Grandmaster, but Anand overwhelmed them with his fearsome tactical skills.

In the placeless ether that is the internet, teenage sensation Praggnanandhaa stormed into the finals of the Chessable Masters, setting up a clash with China’s Ding Liren, a remarkable performance that saw his win over world champion Magnus Carlsen in the qualifying section relegated to a footnote.

On the screen, Ding stares motionless, occasionally taking a bite from an apple or swatting away a mosquito. When it is his turn to think, he leans backwards, head in hands. Praggnanandhaa hunches forward much closer, often so close to the camera that only his eyes can be seen, locked in concentration.

Ding has a reputation as a great technician, a master of the phase of the game that most resembles a science, but is slowly ground down by Pragg in the endgame. As one commentator said, Pragg has “ripped up the script” and “he has also shown that he can play for a technical win.”

In the end, despite the comeback, Pragg lost the tiebreaks in a heartbreaker, where he lost from a commanding position. The match was a microcosm of his strengths and weaknesses, but at age 16, his strengths can only grow, while weaknesses can be eliminated.