Sushil Kutty
India’s chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa lost to Magnus Carlsen in the Chess World Cup final, ‘X’ announced, the same microblogging site that Elon Musk bought and gave it a new avatar. Fide world champion Carlsen was magnanimous in victory giving Praggnanandhaa a new moniker, kind of tag to live with for the rest of his teenage playing years – ‘Mentality Monster’, gross.
For that Carlsen merits a pawn. Carlsen’s gesture amounts to rubbing it in after three days of the world cup chess final. It is like telling Praggnanandhaa he lacks the killer instinct which Carlsen has in plenty. Imagine if Chandrayaan-3 had gone the way of Chandrayaan-2 during the “17 minutes of terror”? There wouldn’t have been the celebrations that Indians witnessed August 23.
Fact is, we Indians are believed to have a stranglehold on Chess at the highest level – with 21 grandmasters in the top 100. Just like we beat every space power in sending satellites up above the sky so high, but would that have made us a superpower in space if ISRO had failed to soft-land Vikram Lander with its Pragyan Rover? No, “Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikandar” and that is how the cycle goes.
Fact of the matter is R Praggnanandhaa did a fantastic job giving a superlative performance on the 64 squares but the “Mentality Monster” tag is an insult even if “Viral-worthy”. Nobody wants to be viral and in second place. And to be told “he’s here to stay”. The reality is after his first World Cup title, Magnus Carlsen is “here is to stay” when the man has already overstayed his welcome for Praggnanandhaa.
Praggnanandhaa lost a golden chance. If only he was unlike normal ordinary Indians. Sure, not winning the World Cup and coming in second isn’t a piffling matter but think of it like a politician. Half of India has been living with depression for years because opposition parties have twice come second to Prime Minister Narendra Modi whose killer instincts are deadly. The Opposition in its new avatar INDIA has one more chance, to either be Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa or Magnus Carlsen, take your pick.
For discerning Indians, the last three days at the Chess World Cup will be remembered for R Praggnanandhaa’s second place effort and the heaps of praise from fellow Indians. “The 18–year–old wannabe champion came in second” does not sound great though Indians would take the “accomplishment” to bed. That is how we are made. Our “second places” placed end to end would cover ten times the distance going round the moon. Indians are gluttons for the 2nd rank.
True, R Praggnanandhaa is a chess prodigy who any mother would be proud of. The boy has grit, and tenacity. Loads of staying power and all the moves on the chessboard including the entire range of gambits. On his day he is unbeatable and checks-mates with a rockstar’s flair. But everything comes to a knot when the pedestal is denied. The disappointment that hit Indians after Praggnanandhaa lost brought millions and millions of Indians to Earth after being over the Moon the evening before.
And then to hear that Magnus Carlsen thinks Praggnanandhaa is a “Mentality Monster” is like being told “you may be a mentality monster but I am the one with the brains, go figure?” And Indians are supposed to settle for having “21 chess grandmasters in the top 100 chess players of the world”, which makes India the World Chess Superpower – the “No.1” chess-playing nation. Forget it, give us the World Chess Champion any day.
Praggnanandhaa has another shot at the top spot in a few days from now, in what is called the FIDE candidates’ tournament. Magnus Carlsen will also be there and so will a host of other prodigies. Hopefully, the Indian who lost to Carlsen would get his killer instincts intact by then. So-called chess experts are saying Magnus Carlsen is a grandmaster of the “endgame” and that is how he sent Praggnanandhaa packing. Well, endgame is another name for “killer instinct” and a prodigy without the killer instinct, the endgame, cannot beat Carlsen.
Praggnanandhaa lost to the five-time world champion. And he took the Norwegian to the tie-breakers but couldn’t break Carlsen for the top place. Magnus prevailed and spoke of the “generation that’s worthy of succeeding us.” The FIDE Candidates tournament will be held in Toronto in April 2024. The winner will be the challenger in the 2024 World Chess Championship. Praggnanandhaa should get his killer instincts honed by then. Coming second at world cups shouldn’t become a habit. (IPA Service)
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