D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi made R Praggnanandhaa feel insecure, India No. 1 claims ‘whenever they were doing well, it…'

By Admin

12 Aug, 2025

Indian chess is in the midst of a golden era, with young prodigies making their mark on the global stage. Among them, R Praggnanandhaa, now the India No. 1, has opened up about how fellow Grandmasters D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi once made him feel insecure in his early career.

Since Gukesh’s stunning World Championship victory against Ding Liren in December last year, Indian chess has seen a remarkable wave of success. Soon after, Koneru Humpy clinched the 2024 FIDE Women’s World Rapid Championship. By July 2025, Divya Deshmukh added another jewel to India’s crown, winning the FIDE Women’s World Cup by defeating Humpy in an all-Indian final. Praggnanandhaa himself celebrated turning 20 this Sunday, having already secured the Tata Masters title earlier this year in a tense tie-breaker against Gukesh.

How Gukesh and Arjun Pushed Praggnanandhaa
Speaking on a recent YouTube podcast, Praggnanandhaa reflected on last year’s season, where he fell short of the stellar performances of his peers. Gukesh became the new World Champion, while Arjun Erigaisi became only the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to cross the 2800 Elo rating mark.

“No, not right now. But I guess in the past (they did),” he admitted when asked if he felt insecure. “Just the players from my generation, whenever they were doing well it was putting some pressure on me. I mean, I was putting pressure on myself, but I started seeing them as inspiration… now whenever they do well, I get this extra motivation.”

From Pressure to Inspiration
Praggnanandhaa credited his shift in mindset to viewing his contemporaries’ success not as a threat, but as a source of encouragement. “Let’s say Gukesh or Arjun do well. Or Nodirbek (Abdusattarov). When they do well, I feel like I can do it as well… Nowadays, I am better at it. Last year I didn’t have a great year while Gukesh won the world championship, Arjun crossed 2800. All these things just inspired me so much. I was seeing their games so closely, trying to understand. It inspired me and I think that’s one of the reasons I feel that extra energy when I play games nowadays.”

A Confident Outlook
While he acknowledges past insecurities, Praggnanandhaa now approaches the game with a mature perspective. “When you just want to give your best and not worry about the results, I don’t think there is anything to be worried about,” he concluded.

With the likes of Gukesh, Arjun, Humpy, and Divya continuing to excel, and Praggnanandhaa himself in top form, India’s chess future looks brighter than ever.