OSLO: R Praggnanandhaa is thinking. He doesn't have a chess board in front of him but he is still careful about the words he wants to use. The question, in a microcosm, explains the kind of dichotomy of an elite Indian chess player. "Are there times when you think 'I wish I had a normal childhood, somebody who went to school or college?'"
"I don't really regret it but of course, I would have loved to have some school or college friends back home (in Chennai). But you have to give (up) certain things (to achieve certain things). When you are going for bigger things... I'm happy with how things are right now." He's speaking to Indian media on the second of the two rest days at Norway Chess, a day before the ninth round.
When the obvious follow up is asked — when you are back home, do you tend to hang out with, say, a (D) Gukesh or an Arjun (Erigaisi)? — the answer revealed a lot. "No, I think we look at each other too much during the tournament (smiles). It's usually, like, when I'm going out (in Chennai), my sister is there, my family is there." Considering he sees a lot of his sister (R Vaishali, who's also an elite chess player) during tournaments, is he okay with that? "When you are a brother-sister, there's no escape (smiles)."
Ever since Pragg became the world's youngest IM at that point (May 2016), he prioritised chess. Because of that, even when he was a child, he consistently skipped school to travel to tournaments worldwide. And his imposing CV meant he received invites even to a lot of elite closed tournaments.
He's truly grateful for this life he has built thanks to his sui generis talent on the board — "If I had gone to school, then I probably wouldn't be here," — but he admits to being burnt out in 2025 when he decided to criss-cross countries every other week for months on end to achieve his goal of qualifying for the Candidates. "I think at some point you are just burnt out," the 20-year-old says.
That feeling of mental exhaustion was normal for the then teen as he chased FIDE circuit points in order to make the Candidates this year. "Now, I just want to chill and enjoy some chess," he says. That sense of enjoyment — where work is passion — stopped being a thing after he looked at the number of different stamps on his passport. "I can't really say when (I felt that burn out) but at some point I was. I counted like in three months, I had travelled to seven countries (to play chess). I think it's too much for anyone. It's not like you are going there to see the place, you are going there to fight in every tournament. So, yeah, it was mentally tiring but it was me, I was the one who signed up for all of these tournaments."
He signed up for these tournaments because the most viable path to the Candidates was to secure the Circuit spot for 2025. As soon as he had zeroed in on that path, he had no choice but to embrace an unforgiving cycle of hotel, new tournament, airport, hotel, new tournament, airport on an endless loop. "For the last two years, I only kept thinking about this cycle and nothing else," the Chennai boy says. "It's something (the disappointment of not qualifying for the title match) is something I have to deal with. I sort of gave everything I had to it. You can also see it from the tournaments I played last year and it's disappointing when it ends like this. Right now, I do want to think about the next two-year cycle."
One direct byproduct of this is that young Indian chess players can be tunnel-visioned. It's why there's a major difference between India's Generation Z and the ones from other countries. One illustration to drive home this point. Vincent Keymer, Alireza Firouzja and Javokhir Sindarov — all three Zoomers who have designs on winning the world title — have other interests apart from chess. It can potentially help take their mind off chess. At Norway Chess, they are not with their coaches so when they are out on their post dinner walks, it's just them, their headphones and a lazy stroll. When Gukesh or Pragg have been out on walks, it's been with their coaches.
Another illustration: chess isn't central to the identities of, say, a Firouzja or Sindarov. It doesn't make them whole. For Indian players who have grown up in this generation, there can be a tendency to push everything else into the background. Become world champion or go home.
When this sentiment is put to Pragg for his thoughts, he straight away says he can only speak for himself. "I feel like sometimes I do focus too much on chess. There are certain things that I want to try, maybe in the future. I certainly feel like having a different hobby would help... not like I don't have one but maybe different things would help me in my chess as well."
In 2026, when the game's biggest match will be played at the end of the year between Gukesh and Sindarov, he will be on the outside looking in. He will hope to be part of the match in 2028. For the time being, though, he doesn't want to think about 2028.
"Just enjoy chess and chill."