'Happy start to 2025, Gukesh and Arjun inspired me to work harder,' shares Praggnanandhaa

Chennai: Indian chess Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, fresh off his triumph at the Tata Steel Masters chess tournament in the Netherlands, opened up about the hard work and determination that fueled his victory over world champion D Gukesh at Chennai airport.

"I didn’t have a great end to 2024. So, I worked hard for this tournament. I am happy to have such a great start to this year," said the 18-year-old, reflecting on the months of preparation that led to his thrilling 2-1 tiebreaker win against Gukesh.

In an emotional moment, Praggnanandhaa revealed that his frustration with his own performance motivated his relentless practice. “Another reason for my focus was that I wasn’t happy with my game. I wanted to play better, so I kept practicing,” he explained.

His drive for improvement was also spurred by the achievements of his fellow Indian chess stars, like Gukesh's World Championship victory and Arjun Erigaisi's rise to the 2800 Elo rating in classical chess.