Praggnanandhaa R shared his thoughts on the Indian team for the Chess Olympiad 2026 and on Gukesh Dommaraju. Pragg says that everyone on his team are good friends, and notes Gukesh’s achievement at the Chess Olympiad 2024.

Praggnanandhaa R

Praggnanandhaa R

India's No. 2

“I think we are all very good friends on the team. Being friends helps a lot when you are playing a team event like the Olympiad.

There will always be pressure when you are representing the country. You want to do well. It’s not about pressure from outside. It’s more of an expectation from yourself that you will do well. We have experienced all this and are ready.

Regarding Gukesh, he has won individual gold and been part of a victorious Olympiad campaign. I don’t know who else has done these things.

He has shown that he belongs at the top. Sometimes everyone has these bad phases. I think this is just one of those.”

In 2024 Gukesh Dommaraju won individual gold medal on board 1. Over the last 20 years Gukesh is the only player to win both individual board 1 gold and team gold in the Open section of the Olympiad. Female players Ju Wenjun, Tatiana Kosintseva, and Maia Chiburdanidze achieved this result in 2018, 2010, and 2008 respectively.

The Chess Olympiad is a prestigious national team competition. The event is held every two years and organized by FIDE. The 2026 event will take place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from September 15 to 28.

Credit: Michal Walusza / Norway Chess