Chennai: For the first time India have won the gold in the online Chess Olympiad. 15-year-old chess prodigy, Praggnanandhaa, who has many laurels to his credit, feels immensely happy at his contribution in this historic victory. He was part of the 14-member Indian team that took part in the 2020 FIDE Chess Olympiad in which India jointly won the gold medal with Russia. Prag is the fourth youngest in the world to achieve the title of Grandmaster ever. Here are the excerpts from his interview to ETV Bharat.
Watch Praggnanandhaa's exclusive interview. Q: This is the first time that the country has won the gold in the Chess Olympiad. How do you see this great feat?
I am immensely happy. I take this opportunity to thank my sponsor, my school and my coach Ramesh among others for their unflinching support. It is indeed a great feeling that I too had contributed to this historic victory.
Q: How did you manage training and preparation for the tournament amid the COVID-19 pandemic?
My coach Ramesh trained me online. He took classes daily. Because of the lockdown, I too got used to online training.
Q: This is the first time that the Chess Olympiad was conducted online. Can you please share your experience?
In any online competition, uninterrupted internet connectivity will be a big issue. Only because of the disruption in internet service India had to lose unfortunately in three games. After that, we downloaded the App. Once we have done that, we faced no problem in connectivity.
Praggnanandhaa is the youngest Grandmaster of the country. Q: You have competed with heavyweights in the tournament. You were part of a team that had top players. What have you learnt from them?
I have been to Viswanathan Anand’s home many a time to discuss the game. However, for this tournament, conducted online, I could not discuss much with others about the game. We used to have brief conversations with the co-players of our team prior to the start of a game.
Q: How supportive was your family – father, mother and elder sister – to your passion for Chess?
When I started playing with other players participating in the Olympiad to get myself trained, I faced the problem of frequent internet disruption. On seeing this, my parents got a secure internet connection at home. Further, to ensure that I am free without any disturbance, relatives were told not to visit our home until the tournament was over. Their support was a catalyst and a great morale booster.
Praggnanandhaa with Viswanathan Anand and Koneru Humpy Q: How do you strike a balance between studies and chess?
I am extremely thankful to my school which had given me special permission for three years, facilitating me to pursue a career in chess and participate in tournaments. Now that I had come to Tenth Class, I have to concentrate more on my studies as well.
