Magnus Carlsen’s admiration for India’s R Praggnanandhaa has been an open secret in chess. The duo famously faced off in the final of the FIDE World Cup in 2023, where Carlsen prevailed but not before he introduced the world to the phrase ‘Be Like Pragg’ which was a catch phrase concocted by coach RB Ramesh.

Many of Pragg’s headline-making battles have come against Carlsen. Pragg had become a household name in India in 2022 after defeating Carlsen for the first time at the Airthings Masters, an online event. At Carlsen’s home tournament, Norway Chess, Pragg had defeated the Norwegian World No 1 three times over two editions, 2024 and 2026 (twice in two games).

Now, in a freewheeling interview on the sidelines of the ongoing Global Chess League, Carlsen has spoken about why he’s a fan of the Indian prodigy, who has gone on a title-winning streak recently, winning Norway Chess with a remarkable second half resurgence and then winning the Grand Chess Tour Finals.

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Magnus Carlsen is playing for the Alpine APL Pipers franchise in the Global Chess League.

“I don’t think Pragg’s approach has changed too much. He has a very good foundation in chess, but he plays in a very aggressive way, and it’s been working out pretty well for him recently. I’m a fan. I love watching his chess. He pushes very, very hard, and he manages to put pressure on basically everybody, including myself,” Carlsen, who plays for the Alpine APL Pipers franchise in the GCL, told reporters in Bengaluru.

File images of Magnus Carlsen and Praggnanandhaa during the Tata Steel India Rapid and Blitz tournament in Kolkata.

“I think Pragg is still not at a point where he can say that he’s distanced himself from his peers. He’s not quite consistent enough for that, but he’s a tough, tough class player,” Carlsen added.

Carlsen also spoke at length about the upcoming World Chess Championship match between Gukesh and Javokhir Sindarov.