Too Much Chess? Hikaru Nakamura Raises Concern Over Praggnanandhaa’s Schedule
Too Much Chess? Hikaru Nakamura Raises Concern Over Praggnanandhaa’s Schedule Published By, Last Updated: June 12, 2026, 10:55 IST Nakamura praised Pragg's Norway Chess triumph
Too Much Chess? Hikaru Nakamura Raises Concern Over Praggnanandhaa’s Schedule Published By, Last Updated: June 12, 2026, 10:55 IST Nakamura praised Pragg's Norway Chess triumph but warned that the Indian GM risks burnout, saying his packed schedule could hurt consistency. Rapid Read Nakamura warns Pragg of a potential burn-out (X/NorwayChess) Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing? Hikaru Nakamura certainly seems to think so. Just days after Indian GM R Praggnanandhaa scripted history by becoming the first Indian to win Norway Chess, the American GM has cautioned that the 20-year-old may be playing too much chess for his own good. Pragg capped off a remarkable comeback in Stavanger by winning four consecutive Classical games, including a second straight victory over World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, to clinch one of the most prestigious titles in the sport.
Yet while the achievement drew widespread praise, Nakamura believes the Indian star’s relentless schedule could become a concern. “Pragg winning Norway Chess comes as no surprise to me. Pragg is a very, very good player, very talented player. His rating at like 2730 is kind of absurd," Nakamura told Endgame AI. However, the World No. 2 quickly followed up his praise with a warning. “As far as Pragg goes, my concern is that Pragg is just playing too much chess. I feel like with Pragg, he’s a very, very good player, but he plays too much chess and he burns himself out." Nakamura suggested that reducing the number of tournaments could help the Indian Grandmaster find greater consistency. “I feel like if he played a little bit less that would be a good thing.
Otherwise it’s going to be very up and down, like you have good result, bad result, and I think it’s very, very choppy," he added. Pragg’s Year So Far The Indian GM competed in the FIDE Candidates Tournament between March and April, finishing seventh. The Chennai-born prodigy then headed to Romania for the Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest, where he struggled to defend his title and finished ninth out of 10 players. At Norway Chess, Praggnanandhaa initially appeared headed for another frustrating tournament after finding himself at the bottom of the standings. Instead, he produced one of the most impressive turnarounds of his career, winning his remaining Classical games to storm back and lift the title — becoming the first Indian to do so. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Siddarth Sriram After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas.
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