Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
R. Praggnanandhaa created history as he won the Grand Chess Tour 2026 - an absolutely top tier event which stretches across multiple tournaments. And Pragg did so by beating the defending champion Fabiano Caruana in the finals. After it ended, we caught up with Pragg on the same evening in USA at 11.30 p.m. (it was 10 a.m. IST) and Pragg talks about his games, what this victory means to him and answers the question of whether slowly and steadily he is becoming the strongest chess player in the world.
Timestamps:
00:00 Congratulations on winning the Grand Chess Tour!
01:07 One month in St. Louis, three tournaments back to back
02:31 Norway Chess or Grand Chess Tour — which one is bigger?
03:29 The trophy that was made in India (and the memes)
05:01 Is St. Louis a good place to spend a month?
05:30 $200,000 for the win, $404,000 for the tour
06:25 "It's not something I'm chasing" — Pragg on money
08:10 What did you do to get better at rapid and blitz?
09:31 2025 vs 2026 — how his style has evolved
10:59 With Magnus playing less, are you the next dominant player?
12:19 SEMIFINAL vs Keymer, Classical Game 1: the d5 decision
14:00 The win he missed: Rd4 and "the worst thing to happen"
16:27 Classical Game 2 — the game that turned the match
19:02 Rapid Game 1: the opening surprise and the f4 idea
22:04 Rapid Game 2: "Nc3 is wrong" and the queen trap
23:18 "I switched off my brain for the blitz match"
24:25 FINAL vs Caruana, Classical Game 1: why he went back to Nc6
28:33 Classical Game 2: the 95-move endgame that got away
31:21 Six points down on the final day — did he believe?
32:29 Rapid Game 1: the comeback begins
34:25 Rapid Game 2: outplaying Fabi in the Sicilian
35:55 Blitz Game 1: "I almost touched my queen"
38:04 Blitz Game 2: the exchange sacrifice he missed
39:05 The game that sealed it: Bg5, f6 and mate with two bishops
40:36 The final blitz game: "Fabi was a bit tilted"
42:07 Why he skipped the Global Chess League
43:10 "I'm getting old" — a 21-year-old on needing rest
44:05 What's next: Clutch Chess, Olympiad Samarkand, Tal Memorial
Video: ChessBase India
#Chess #ChessBaseIndia #praggnanandhaa
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
◾Support young talents via HelpChess Foundation: helpchess.org
◾Review us on Google: https://g.page/r/CZ5T1PaLM-7WEBE/review
◾Chess Shop: shop.chessbase.in
◾ChessBase India on amazon: amzn.to/2vv0XXy
◾Contact us: chessbase.in/contact
Most important links of ChessBase India: https://linktr.ee/chessbaseindia
R. Praggnanandhaa created history as he won the Grand Chess Tour 2026 - an absolutely top tier event which stretches across multiple tournaments. And Pragg did so by beating the defending champion Fabiano Caruana in the finals. After it ended, we caught up with Pragg on the same evening in USA at 11.30 p.m. (it was 10 a.m. IST) and Pragg talks about his games, what this victory means to him and answers the question of whether slowly and steadily he is becoming the strongest chess player in the world.
Timestamps:
00:00 Congratulations on winning the Grand Chess Tour!
01:07 One month in St. Louis, three tournaments back to back
02:31 Norway Chess or Grand Chess Tour — which one is bigger?
03:29 The trophy that was made in India (and the memes)
05:01 Is St. Louis a good place to spend a month?
05:30 $200,000 for the win, $404,000 for the tour
06:25 "It's not something I'm chasing" — Pragg on money
08:10 What did you do to get better at rapid and blitz?
09:31 2025 vs 2026 — how his style has evolved
10:59 With Magnus playing less, are you the next dominant player?
12:19 SEMIFINAL vs Keymer, Classical Game 1: the d5 decision
14:00 The win he missed: Rd4 and "the worst thing to happen"
16:27 Classical Game 2 — the game that turned the match
19:02 Rapid Game 1: the opening surprise and the f4 idea
22:04 Rapid Game 2: "Nc3 is wrong" and the queen trap
23:18 "I switched off my brain for the blitz match"
24:25 FINAL vs Caruana, Classical Game 1: why he went back to Nc6
28:33 Classical Game 2: the 95-move endgame that got away
31:21 Six points down on the final day — did he believe?
32:29 Rapid Game 1: the comeback begins
34:25 Rapid Game 2: outplaying Fabi in the Sicilian
35:55 Blitz Game 1: "I almost touched my queen"
38:04 Blitz Game 2: the exchange sacrifice he missed
39:05 The game that sealed it: Bg5, f6 and mate with two bishops
40:36 The final blitz game: "Fabi was a bit tilted"
42:07 Why he skipped the Global Chess League
43:10 "I'm getting old" — a 21-year-old on needing rest
44:05 What's next: Clutch Chess, Olympiad Samarkand, Tal Memorial
Video: ChessBase India
#Chess #ChessBaseIndia #praggnanandhaa
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
◾Support young talents via HelpChess Foundation: helpchess.org
◾Review us on Google: https://g.page/r/CZ5T1PaLM-7WEBE/review
◾Chess Shop: shop.chessbase.in
◾ChessBase India on amazon: amzn.to/2vv0XXy
◾Contact us: chessbase.in/contact
Most important links of ChessBase India: https://linktr.ee/chessbaseindia
