CHENNAI: AROUND the time when D Gukesh was crowned as the world champion, RB Ramesh and R Praggnanadhaa had a very frank conversation. The interaction between teacher and student didn't focus on Gukesh's title but the spotlight was on the wider developments within Indian chess.
"There were things we discussed at the end of last year," Ramesh told select media during the fifth round of the Chennai Grand Masters on Monday. "Does it have a negative impact on you? Because Gukesh, rating wise, he went up. Pragg was 2740 in January. In December also he was 2740. He had had some ups and downs. 'So do others' performances have an impact on you?' These were some of the issues we discussed."
The irony wasn't lost on India's very wide chess community as well. In August 2023, Praggnanandhaa had qualified for the Candidates after advancing to the final of the World Cup. Four months later, Gukesh joined him in the 11th hour. Yet, it was Gukesh who topped the Candidates. Erigaisi, the oldest among the trio, meanwhile went on a rampage and saw his ratings jump by 60 points.
Because Ramesh has worked with Praggnanandhaa for a long time, he knew he would get a frank response. "Otherwise, what's the point in having the conversation," Ramesh said. "If you want to hide things, I won't even be asking these questions. If my student is not going to be frank with me, I won't be working with them. And I'm not going to be honest with my students, they should not be working with me. There should be some trust between the trainer and the player." So the duo addressed the 19-year-old's mental state (something they have always spoken about).
The proof is in the pudding. Post that debrief, the super GM has been on a roll. In 2025, Praggnanandhaa has gained 38 points and has cracked the world's top five (on the live ratings, he's the best Indian). He's also the circuit leader and is well placed to advance to the 2026 edition of the Candidates via that pathway.
Even if the young Indian players — Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin among others — are friendly away from the board, they know that their peers are some of the best going around. Because all of them have the stated aim of becoming world champion, they also know that their compatriots are also some of their biggest competition.
There was a time when it used to affect them but Ramesh, almost 50, said they have learnt to cope with the territory. "Because we are all humans and we are all emotional people," the super coach said. "It will have an impact, especially when your competitors are doing better. It can affect you... Initially it was not very easy," as they were all very young.
Ramesh, one of the pre-eminent chess trainers in the country today, cited the Praggnanandhaa example. "When he won the Under-18 Worlds, he felt that he was the best player (in that age group) in the world. Suddenly, there is competition in that age-group. In the last two years, though, they are used to it. From the players' perspective, they are trying to go to the very top."
At the World Cup, Praggnanandhaa, Sarin, Erigaisi and the other elite talents of Indian chess will be there hoping to advance to the Candidates.
Results (Rd 5)
Masters
Jorden van Foreest bt Ray Robson, Anish Giri drew with Karthikeyan Murali, Nihal Sarin drew with Awonder Liang, Vincent Keymer drew with Vidit Gujrathi, Arjun Erigaisi drew with V Pranav
Challengers
Harshavardhan GB bt R Vaishali, Abhimanyu Puranik bt D Harika, M Pranesh drew with Leon Mendonca, Aryan Chopra drew with Adhiban Baskaran, P Iniyan drew with Diptayan Ghosh