Praggnanandhaa’s life lesson from chess: 'Mistakes come in pairs'; why the 21-year-old grandmaster says your next move matters more than your last mistake

In chess, as in life and business, a mistake can cost you a game. But according to Indian grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, what matters more is what you do immediately after making one.

"There is this saying that mistakes come in pairs," Praggnanandhaa said at a fireside chat with Sreeraman Thiagarajan, chief executive, JK India eAgriTech and cofounder, Agrahyah Technologies, at this year's Economic Times 40 Under Forty awards on Friday. "It's extremely important to forget about the past, and it's always about making the right decision at the right moment."

The lesson from the 21-year-old grandmaster, who has spent much of his life competing against the world's best players, extended well beyond the 64 squares.


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In chess, he said, the first mistake can often be followed by another because the player remains consumed by what has already gone wrong rather than concentrating on the position in front of them. "You have to focus on the moment that's currently in front of you and make a decision on that move and forget about what has happened in the past," he said.

That ability to recover has become particularly relevant to Praggnanandhaa's own recent journey. The Candidates Tournament in April had been the competition he had spent two years working towards, qualifying through performances across several tournaments. But when the opportunity finally came, he missed out. "It was disappointing," he said. "But I felt that I've learned a lot through this journey of working towards the Candidates."

The disappointment also brought relief. With the pressure of winning the Candidates behind him, Praggnanandhaa said he could return to enjoying the game. "The combination of just enjoying whatever I'm doing and the work is a good one," he said.

Despite a growing ecosystem around the sport, chess, much like life, for Praggnanandhaa remains an intensely individual pursuit. Players can spend five or six hours at the board during a single game without speaking to anyone. "Chess is a lonely sport. It's one of the most brutal games," he said. "You can't really blame anyone for your bad days."

At the highest level, where players are often evenly matched in technical ability, the edge comes from small things, he said. "The mental aspect is extremely important in chess," Praggnanandhaa said, pointing to the ability to handle pressure and perform at crucial junctures.

The game demands sustained alertness because a single move can overturn hours of effort. "You can end up losing the game in one move," he said. "So, the alertness and the concentration that's required throughout the game is essential."

Away from the board, family provides a crucial counterbalance. Praggnanandhaa said his mother and sister's presence during tournaments offers more than familiar food-it provides emotional support and helps him switch off after games, when players can remain mentally trapped in their calculations.

Chess dominates conversations at home, too. With his sister Vaishali also among India's leading players, dinner-table discussions inevitably return to the game. "It will start somewhere but end up in chess," he said, adding that he enjoys having someone to discuss the sport he loves.

The same ability to separate competition from life shapes his relationships with fellow Indian players. On the board, the objective is uncompromising. "We want to kill each other on the board," he said. But away from competition, he added, they are "all normal guys who want to hang out and have fun."

Praggnanandhaa also spoke about the importance of continually examining flaws, even after believing they have been addressed. "You have to constantly work on your weaknesses," he said. "Even if you feel that a weakness is sorted, that still can come up in future games."

He's pursuing a BBA degree alongside chess, describing studies as a way to take a break from his profession and engage with something different. "I cannot play forever. I need some hobbies as well," he said.

His closing lesson from chess was perhaps the simplest. "Chess is about making decisions at every move," he said. The game, he added, teaches patience: "You have to be calm, you have to be focused."