Pragg and Vaishali interview: GM siblings open up about each other, from qualities they admire to what they’re like off the board

To truly realise the popularity of R Praggnanandhaa and R Vaishali, one may need to visit a chess tournament outside the country. The siblings chuckle as they recollect instances of fans bringing them home-cooked Indian meals as they compete in faraway lands.

In a freewheeling interview with The Indian Express in Stavanger, where they’re competing at the Norway Chess tournament, India’s only brother-sister Grandmaster duo opens up on what they appreciate about their sibling, pick out moments from their careers that instilled self-belief in them, and reveal who wins a majority of their private chess games at home. Excerpts from an interview:

What is the one quality of your sibling that you really admire and wish you had when it comes to chess?

Praggnanandhaa: Maybe being more aggressive over the board, trying to checkmate often.

Vaishali: His positional play, his patience, how he gets over his losses during tournaments. He takes everything the same way, wins or losses, that’s something I admire … He’s really passionate about his chess. Watching him closely, he’s thinking about the game almost all the time. I get tired and at some point stop looking at chess, but he keeps on going.

And it takes you longer to get over your losses?

Vaishali: Yes. I am definitely getting better in this aspect, as happened at the Candidates also. But it definitely takes longer for me than he needs to recover.

So what’s your secret of getting over a defeat so quickly, Pragg?

Praggnanandhaa: Obviously, it’s tough. But as a chess player, I’ve been doing this for the last 13 years or something. I think I’ll continue doing this. So it doesn’t make too much sense to be very upset for each and every loss. It’s going to come often, so it’s not something that you should be upset about.

Vaishali obliges a fan for selfie on the sidelines of the Norway Chess event. (Express photo by Amit Kamath)

And what’s the one quality you admire about each other away from the chess board?

Praggnanandhaa: I’m a bit of a messy guy. And she’s more organised. My mother would tell you the same.

Vaishali: He’s just very easy-going. Very fun. It’s easy to approach him and have a conversation with him. That’s something I appreciate about him.

At tournaments like Norway Chess, how much of your day involves chess prep?

Praggnanandhaa: On rest days during tournaments, it’s more chill. We do look at chess, but it’s not the main thing. But on match days, we do prepare seriously. At Norway Chess, we get more time because the games start at 5 pm. At other times, games start at 2 or 3, so it is different at each tournament. Depends on how much time you get in the morning. I try to look at what my opponent does and be ready for that.

When we asked Magnus (Carlsen) if there was a particular Indian player he likes playing against, he named you stating that you guys have had great duels. Do you enjoy facing Magnus, or does he feel like a tricky opponent to have across the board?

Praggnanandhaa: I always enjoy playing against Magnus, as I enjoy playing against top players in general. The games are very exciting. It’s a challenge any time I play any top player. With Magnus, as he said, the games are very exciting. That’s one thing to look forward to whenever I am playing.

Vaishali, world champion Ju Wenjun recently said you are one of the most creative players at the Candidates this year. Where does that on-the-board aggression and creativity come from?

Vaishali: It’s good to know that she mentioned this. I don’t know, maybe the way I trained in my earlier days. When I started, this was the way my trainers influenced me.

Himanshu Gulati, an Indian-origin member of Parliament with the Progress Party, poses with Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali ahead of the first day of the Norway Chess event. (Express Photo by Amit Kamath)

Your longtime coach RB Ramesh talks about training drills you would do where you had a chess board in front of you, but you would not move the pieces at all, instead you would call out moves. How much did those drills help your visualisation skills?

Praggnanandhaa: It is important. We would make a position on the board and then start calculating from there. And we would be past move 15 but would still have the same position on the board. We had to then visualise in our mind. It was not just about visualisation but also about finding good moves there. That helps obviously when we’re playing some complicated game trying to calculate ahead.

Everywhere you go these days, there are usually plenty of fans turning up. We saw that one fan brought home-made food for Vidit Gujrathi at the Candidates. What’s the sweetest or craziest thing some fan has done for you? And how used to it are you to this attention in every country you go to?

Praggnanandhaa: That (Indian fans bringing them home- cooked food when they’re playing in foreign countries) has happened many times.

Vaishali: Out of love, fans do whatever they can to support us. It feels really good when our people come around to cheer for us.

Praggnanandhaa (on the constant attention): It’s tough sometimes. I don’t really focus on that. I don’t take other’s expectations. I just do what I have been doing for the past few years. I’m getting used to this new thing, and I think I’m coping well.

When Magnus had come in 2013 to India to play Viswanathan Anand in the World Championship, he played a bunch of kids in simultaneous games. Vaishali, you were one of the players who beat him. Of course Carlsen was focusing on the match with Anand, but for you at that stage, how much did that win prop up your self-belief?

Vaishali: It definitely gave me confidence. He was World No. 1 back then. It was the strongest player I had ever played and to actually see him for the first time and to beat him, it felt really good for my confidence. Of course, he came to Chennai for other things. The simultaneous games were just a small part of it. But nevertheless, I enjoyed it a lot that day. Even now, to think back it feels really good that I beat him.

Magnus Carlsen talks to Praggnanandhaa after their match at the 2024 Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland. (PHOTO:
Courtesy of Grand Chess Tour/Lennart Ootes)

Pragg, you became a household name when you defeated Carlsen with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sachin Tendulkar congratulating you on that win. But from your career, was there one moment when you felt that you belonged at the very elite level in chess?

Praggnanandhaa: I think the FIDE World Cup (where he secured qualification to the Candidates by finishing second to Carlsen) would be one of those moments. Also, after that my rating went up. That phase was where I was really playing at a high level.

Vaishali, was there one moment in your career that made you believe that you’re destined to be at the elite level?

Vaishali: Many times, I would feel confident but then get some bad results and my confidence would get hit. It has always been up and down. But winning the FIDE Grand Swiss and qualifying for the Candidates was one of those moments because I also got closer to the GM title.

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One final question. Do you guys ever play each other at home, and if you do, who wins most of the games?

Vaishali: Pragg wins. We do play sometimes.

Is that because as an elder sister, it’s your duty to let the younger sibling win sometimes?

Vaishali: It’s a good excuse (laughs).

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