'World Champion pressure is completely different': India No. 1 R Praggnanandhaa on Gukesh vs Javokhir Sindarov match

The Times of India · Jyotirmoy Halder · 2026-11-06 12:30 UTC

NEW DELHI: India's top-ranked chess player, R Praggnanandhaa, believes the upcoming World Chess Championship match between D Gukesh and Uzbekistan's

NEW DELHI: India's top-ranked chess player, R Praggnanandhaa, believes the upcoming World Chess Championship match between D Gukesh and Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov will be an interesting contest, with both grandmasters bringing different strengths into the battle.

Pragg also highlighted the additional pressure that comes with defending the world title, saying it is something he cannot fully understand without experiencing it himself.

Speaking to ChessBase India, Praggnanandhaa said he has known both 20-year-olds Gukesh and Sindarov since their early years in chess. He recalled playing against Sindarov for the first time in 2013 and facing Gukesh around the same period.

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