[Exclusive] R Praggnanandhaa talks about his stardom, preparation routine, and rice-and-rasam
The last year or so has seen Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa go from a teenage prodigy to a bonafide superstar of Indian chess. Since 2023, he has defeated world champion Ding Liren in his first attempt, dragged all-time great Magnus Carlsen into a tie breaker in the Chess World Cup final, qualified for the prestigious Candidate's Tournament, won an Asian Games silver, and now has the Chess Olympiad gold to his name. All this while still being a teenager.
The talent had always been there for the world to see. At age 12, Praggnanandhaa was already a grandmaster. But it is about the adulation that he gets. One had to be present at the felicitation program organised by AICF (All India Chess Federation) in New Delhi this week, to witness Praggnanandhaa's stardom first hand.
As soon as he got off the stage, he was swarmed by fans. From middle-aged men and women to preadoloscent kids, everybody wanted a piece of him. People clamoured around for selfies. They carried with them diaries, posters, chessboards and what not for autographs.
Praggnanandhaa was largely composed, obliging most requests. Amidst the commotion, he also spared a few minutes for an exclusive conversation with Sportskeeda, giving an insight into his preparation routine, food habits, and his outlook towards this fanfare.
"I am happy that our efforts are being recognised." he said, "We have achieved something historical. It is a good feeling and it shows to other chess players and other sports athletes that your efforts will be recognised."
While Praggnanandhaa seems to be used to the limelight, his sister Vaishali - who was also a part of the gold medal winning team at the Olympiad - said that she is still getting a hang of it.
"I am slowly getting used to it, I would say." said Vaishali, "It’s a part of every sportsperson’s career. To some extent, I enjoy also because not many people get a chance to be in such a limelight. Sometimes it feels like pressure. You want to stop but you cannot stop."
Surely, talent is a thing. But in modern chess, where pattern recognition is becoming more and more important by the day, preparation is imperative. As a top player, all of your past games and moves are available over the internet for your opponent to study.
There are softwares that can help you decode the best move in any situation within a few clicks. Yet, when the pressure is on, one needs to be able to be ingenious.
"It is both." says Praggnanandhaa, "You have to give your best in both cases. Even if you prepare forever and give your best in preparation, if you don’t give your best on board it is not going to work out. And same the other way. So, you have to give your best in whatever you’re doing."
Hence, during a tournament, like most top level chess players, Praggnanandhaa goes through a comprehensive routine that enables him to give his best. Diet, sleep, prep - everything is taken care of.
"We have a routine for ourselves which we know works, so we just follow it," he says, without revealing the intricate details.
This is where the the role of the support he has around him comes in. For instance, at the Olympiad, the "seconds" or the assistant coaches that traveled with the team would stay up at night studying the opponents and hand over the analysis to the players only in the morning. This allowed the players to have a good night's sleep and be well rested before the match.
"South Indian food gives the energy for a five-six hour game," says Praggnanandhaa's mother
By now, the entire chess community knows that Praggnanandhaa's mother, Nagalakshmi - who frequently travels with him to tournaments - carries a rice cooker, so that she could cook him homestyle rice and rasam. Praggnanandhaa confirmed that it was true.
"Yes, it is true." he said, "I am much more comfortable with South Indian food. If I can get it there, it is much better. For some tournaments my mother doesn’t accompany me, so I manage it on my own."
When asked about it, Nagalakshmi remarked that South Indian food gave her kids the energy to sustain through the day during competition. She also revealed that both Vaishali and Praggnanandhaa switch to a vegetarian diet during tournaments to avoid any health problems.
"The tournament goes on for 15 days and food is very important for that." said Nagalakshmi, "They played 11 rounds at the Olympiad and you definitely need energy for that. So just for lunch, if we prepare good South Indian food it gives them energy for a five-six hour game."
The diet definitely seems to be working well for the duo. After all "the golden siblings", as they are called these days, played a pivotal role in helping India script history at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest. They would next be in action at the Global Chess League in London.