Why Viswanathan Anand thinks R Praggnanandhaa is already

India's R Praggnanandhaa thinks about his next move during a game in Tata Steel Chess India in Kolkata. (Express photo by Partha Paul)

Indian chess legend Viswanathan Anand said while R Praggnanandhaa has slowed down a bit in the last few months, the 20-year-old will be mentally ready for the FIDE Candidates tournament. “He’s (Praggnanandhaa) experienced, but at the same time he looks very motivated. He has slowed down a little bit in the last few months, but maybe mentally he is already peaking and getting ready for the Candidates,” Anand said on FIDE’s YouTube channel.

“I think Fabi (Fabiano), Hikaru (Nakamura), Anish (Giri)… you know this is got to be their time, so they will have that feeling going into it that this is a chance to grab… and a lot of wildcards. But I can’t for the life of me get around to predicting someone,” the five-time former world champion added.

Meanwhile, India’s Koneru Humpy might not be playing the women’s Candidates despite qualifying for the eight-player event because the veteran doesn’t want to risk competing in Cyprus, a country which is not too far away from nations like Lebanon and Israel, which are actively involved in the ongoing war in the Middle East.

In the context of the competition, Anand, who is also the vice-president of FIDE, said FIDE always tries to find the best possible venues for its marquee events, adding that Cyprus would provide an amazing backdrop for such a high-level tournament.

“FIDE tries to first find a good high-quality venue (and) I think we’ve succeeded in that. Cyprus will be a very good venue and I think the location is going to be amazing and we try to keep the players informed.

“It’s just a tournament in the end, once you’re told when to go, where to go you block that in your head… I think everything’s been set four months in advance and looking forward to it,” said Anand.

Why Viswanathan Anand thinks R Praggnanandhaa is already ‘mentally peaking’ ahead of Candidates despite ‘slowing down a bit’

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