16-year-old Indian chess star Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa convincingly won the 2022 Norway Chess Open, scoring unbeaten 7.5 points. He yesterday joined the Norway Chess 2022 commentary team GM Jan Gustafsson and IM Jovanka Houska.
“I am very happy to win the tournament. It’s also very nice to play alongside such a strong field. It also motivates you to play better“, said Praggnanandhaa.
Speaking about Anand’s blunder in the 8th round of Norway Chess 2022 when Vishy resigned immediately after playing the move shocking his opponent Mamedyarov who asked him “Why?”, Pragg confessed he would’ve waited. “I was actually quite said (for Vishy). It was painful for me as a fan to see such a blunder. I was just hoping he (Anand) will be fine after that what happened“. Praggnanandhaa also explained he’s been part of Anand’s Academy and that they played training matches: “It was very helpful for me“.
Rameshbabu had a pretty busy schedule last month, as he competed in two events of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour – Oslo Esports Cup and Chessable Masters. Simultaneously with the second event, Pragg had school exams. “I was getting very tired that week, it was tough but somehow I managed. I was not preparing that much. I was trying to study and then do other things and just focus on playing the games not preparing for them.“. See the whole interview below.
