NAGPUR: Filipino-American super grandmaster Wesley So believes Praggnanandhaa is too strong a player to be categorized as a dark horse in the Candidates field and the prospects of a Pragg vs Gukesh World Championship clash is mouth-watering.
“If I have to pick one winner (for the Candidates), I’ll pick Fabiano. He’s very experienced and has played every Candidates since 2013.
“Praggnanandhaa has very good chances too; he’s skilled in many aspects of the game,” Wesley told TOI on Friday, ahead of his debut in the Global Chess League, which starts in Mumbai on Sunday.
“As for the dark horse, I’m not sure if Pragg counts because he’s already extremely strong. Sindarov could be a dark horse, but he lacks experience," the 32-year-old added.
“If Pragg and Gukesh face each other for the World Championship, that would be very interesting — two Indians with very different styles.” Wesley, who was eliminated in the recent World Cup in Goa, said he was not keen to play the tournament any more.
“Honestly, everything went wrong in Goa, from the travel to the hotel to coming straight from the long USA Championship,” he said. “I always play badly in the World Cup. In 2023, I lost 16 rating points, this year I lost 11. So this is probably the last time I ever play the World Cup.
“Now I’m taking it one day at a time, trying to improve, and getting my classical rating back up after the World Cup.” On the importance of qualifying for the Candidates, Wesley said, “It’s always been a big goal. That’s why I played in Goa.
“The St Louis Chess Club has supported American players for many years, and I think they want to see Americans compete for the world title. As a professional chess player, my goal is to become world champion.”
Wesley, who in 2017 became the World No 2 with a peak Elo rating of 2822, said he was excited about his maiden appearance in the GCL. “The time control is very different, so that’s something to adapt to, but overall I’m very excited,” he said
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