2023-11-21 05:33:28
# Rakesh K. Nair
21 November 2023, 11:03 AM IST After a blitz match between R Pragyananda and Nihal Sarin at the Che International Chess Festival, both of them had a friendly chat.
Thiruvananthapuram: Indian Grandmaster Pragyananda says that he sees Magnus Carlsen as the best opponent in world chess. The match with Carlson was a good experience. However, Carlson’s experience in rapids and tiebreakers helped him at the World Championships.
Pragyananda was speaking to the media following a 10-round blitz match with Malayalee Grandmaster Nihal Sarin at the Che International Chess Festival jointly organized by Kerala and Cuba. Pragyananda won the match 7.5-2.5.
Hoped to get gold in Asian Games. However, he managed to win only a silver medal. I am happy to have won a silver medal in my first Asian Games competition.
Target Candidates Tournament
The next target is the Candidates tournament in Canada in 2024. Efforts for that have started. Now able to perform better. A few more things need to be done. Sister Vaishali is also contesting among the candidates. Hope to win the Vaishali tournament. Will start playing in tournaments abroad from December.
Plays without stress
It is natural to feel a little pressure during the competition. But, under pressure, mistakes will happen. Therefore, he has gained the mental strength to survive the pressures during the competition. Sometimes you don’t get enough sleep while traveling between tournaments. After winning the championship in Bhubaneswar on Sunday evening, they returned to Thiruvananthapuram. After reaching here in the morning, I got ready for the competition. When I was in front of the chess board, I didn’t know fatigue and other pressures.
Competition with Nihal
Nihal is better than me in the blitz format. I tried to give my best performance without thinking regarding the result of the match. It was possible to take advantage of Nihal’s mistake in some rounds. What children should do is to enjoy playing chess without thinking regarding winning or losing. Children need better support in schools.
Best experience – Nihal Sarin
Nihal Sarin said that the match with Pragyananda was a great experience. Enjoyed playing. I got off to a good start in the first phase. However, this might not be sustained till the final game. The desire is to play with strong opponents. The environment for playing chess in Kerala is improving. Nihal Sarin said that such tournaments provide a great opportunity for children.
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#Magnus #Carlsen #opponent
