Indian Express at Global Chess League: ‘Pragg being first player I ever coach is like having ‘lottery ticket’’ – GM Peter Svidler | Chess News

Eight-time Russian chess champion Peter Svidler remembers receiving a text message from RB Ramesh some time in late 2022. The Indian coach, who has shaped a bunch of India’s top prodigies like R Praggnanandhaa, R Vaishali and Arvindh Chithambaram, had an interesting proposition for Svidler that the Russian likens to being offered a lottery ticket. Ramesh wanted to know if Svidler was open to coaching Pragg. It was a move that was unusual in the Indian sporting context, where many Indian coaches tend to cling on to athletes from their junior days to the elite level.
“Ramesh is very invested in the idea of helping Pragg become as good a chess player as he can. Ramesh, in particular, is completely selfless in this respect. He does not want to be the one and only coach for the rest of Pragg’s career,” says Svidler, whose commentary and analysis are widely lened to, for their eclectic details.
Svidler was a neat fit to Ramesh’s plans in delegating as far as Pragg was concerned. “Ramesh wants to create an environment where progress is being made. So whatever he feels might be useful for that (he will do). We’ve been to a few camps together, and from what I understand about Ramesh, this is to be expected from him. He’s a very generous person and he is incredibly emotionally invested in helping Pragg succeed,” Svidler, who is currently in London competing in the Global Chess League for the upGrad Mumba Masters, tells The Indian Express.
Svidler admits that when he received the text message, he was initially taken aback. He had, after all, never coached anyone before. The 48-year-old wears many hats, most prominently as a commentator on tournament broadcasts besides still being an active player.
“When I got a message from Ramesh, I thought this seems like a logical thing to try and do something I haven’t tried before. And obviously, this is such a lottery ticket: the first person who is actually interested (in learning from you) is Pragg. He’s obviously unbelievably gifted. It was a reasonably easy decision,” says Svidler.
Coaching a whizkid oozing talent comes with unique challenges. Svidler adds candidly: “I enjoy coaching, but I’m not exactly sure what I am doing. It’s kind of confusing. I’m still learning the ropes. Pragg is the first person I’ve coached basically. It’s a good place to start. But it’s also very challenging because what do you teach him? He already knows quite a lot,” he explains.

What Svidler is parting with is wisdom and experiences unique to a GM. “And I am three times Pragg’s age. This gives me some insights into things that you probably only get with experience,” he says, adding, “This is obviously the direction. Obviously, we also look at chess. But I talk to him about the wisdom of the age. Mainly, I am trying to kind of provide direction as much as I can. Obviously this is with Ramesh, he’s very much involved. We’re trying to locate things which we need to fine tune.”
Svidler gushes about the experience of working with Pragg, one of the most talented stars of the current generation of Indians.
“Honestly, I don’t think there was anything about working with him that surprised me. Apart from just how cheerful he is: He’s extremely cheerful. I’m naturally kind of less cheerful. That’s also something that comes with age, I guess. He’s so enjoyable to be around. I was very pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed being in the same room with him talking about chess. Chess-wise, I don’t think anything about him shocked me, because I came in expecting him to be extremely hard-working and also very good at chess already,” says the Russian who also loves cricket, and is a fan of the English cricket team.
Svidler came into the second edition of the Global Chess League as a last-minute replacement for Alexander Grischuk in the upGrad Mumba Masters.
“I still very much enjoy playing in faster time controls. And I like talking about chess. These days I prefer doing commentary and playing in faster time controls,” Svidler says.
Tweaked chess formats and edgy time controls excite Svidler. “I like trying new things. I’ve always been very much a believer in trying to find new things to enjoy. This is outside of chess as well, but particularly in chess. I was an early adopter of the Fischer Random Chess,” Svidler says about the format that leans on randomised starting positions, which take memorizing of openings out of the equation.
He digs innovations in chess play. “I like new time controls, new set-ups. I like attempts to create new scoring systems. I think these things are quite exciting because you’re still playing the game you love but they make you mentally adjust to new challenges and things you have never tried before. This keeps things fresh. I’m all for keeping things fresh,” he says, offering an insight into the adventurous streak that could be the reason why Ramesh could’ve possibly chosen him to guide Pragg.