R Praggnanandhaa believes that while a competitive ego is natural among top chess players, it doesn’t necessarily make them arrogant. The Indian grandmaster, fresh off his Grand Chess Tour win, offered a considered response to American GM Hikaru Nakamura’s recent claim that every elite player is arrogant.

“When it comes to chess, we all want to win. So when we lose, we don’t take it lightly. We all want to give it back the next day. In that way, we all have an ego. We don’t want to lose. We want to fight back,” Praggnanandhaa told .

“But I think most chess players are nice. I mean, there is nothing I have against anyone. Everyone is just nice. But when it comes to chess, we all want to beat each other. So in that way, there is a high competitive spirit. That does give you some ego. When you lose, you don’t take it lightly… you’re annoyed. I am sure there are a few outside chess who probably are arrogant at the top, but I don’t think everyone is,” he added.

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His comments came in response to Nakamura’s recent remarks, where he asserted that arrogance is a prerequisite for success at the highest level.

“The reality is that every top player is very arrogant. Some are just better at keeping their emotions and their feelings inside as opposed to others,” Nakamura said on his YouTube stream.

“But anybody who wants to pretend that other players are somehow very calm, they aren’t arrogant, or they don’t have a big ego… you’re just lying to yourself, basically. Because all of them do. And of course, I am too. Everybody’s arrogant. Everybody has an ego. Because you have to have that in order to be a very, very strong chess player. You have to have it. It’s just the reality. There are certain players who are better at keeping it inside, but every top player has an ego. Even the Indian players.”

Praggnanandhaa’s response fits this generation of Indian chess players well. They come across as calm and composed on the outside, but beneath that quiet exterior is a fierce competitor who hates losing just as much as anyone else.

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Indian Grandmasters Arjun Erigaisi, D. Gukesh and R. Praggnanandhaa. (PHOTO: FIDE/FILE)

The grandmaster from Chennai admitted he had lost some confidence after a disappointing Candidates performance, where he felt he lacked control over his games. He regained that sense of control at the GCT Bucharest tournament, before Norway Chess, even though the results didn’t immediately reflect it. Once his confidence returned, he knew he could compete at the highest level and win, while acknowledging that such victories are never guaranteed, however much he aims for them.

Praggnanandhaa opened up about what it means to feel confident.

“Sometimes your confidence is low. You don’t feel the usual thing and you start to second-guess your decisions. You double-check everything. You don’t believe in some lines you see. You take fewer risks. But I think more than the results, how you play, how your brain is thinking, and the moves that flow… all these things are important. I felt during Bucharest that I was a lot more in control. Whatever I was seeing was pretty decent. I was playing good quality chess compared to the Candidates or tournaments before that. I felt that changed, and obviously, it’s showing in the results now. But I think it started from Bucharest, where I felt in control.”

Asked if confidence brings a sense of invincibility, Praggnanandhaa dismissed the idea. “No one is invincible. Anyone can have a bad day. I was basically blundering one or two moves in the finals. You need to be cautious. You shouldn’t be over-confident, but you shouldn’t be under-confident either. You should be confident about yourself but should also respect the game and do what’s required,” he said.

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Praggnanandhaa believes training and preparation can build confidence, but what happens on the board is what ultimately matters. “You have to believe that you can be the best. That is also a form of confidence. When you go to a game, you have to try and win,” he said.