Nepomniachtchi reacts to no Indians in top 10, questions FIDE rating system: 'Not completely fair...'

Russian grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi has shared his views on Indian chess and also praised the massive chess boom happening in the country right now. He even talked about the current form of Indian players like Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh.

Talking about Arjun Erigaisi, the two-time Candidates winner called him the “most practical” among India’s leading young stars. He added that Arjun’s aggressive and practical style helps him win many difficult games and explained why he has been so successful in open tournaments.

"I think it’s first of all the result of the big chess boom in India. Speaking of Arjun, I think he’s the most practical out of the three. He’s very creative and very good in open tournaments against weaker opponents because he is not afraid to get into worse positions. He willingly takes risks whenever he can. That’s probably why he wins a lot of bad positions and why he has been so successful in opens. He recently played really well in Sweden, although earlier he used to struggle a bit in such tournaments," he told ChessBase India.

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Speaking about Praggnanandhaa, Nepomniachtchi described him as a “very balanced player” but suggested the Indian star may have played too much chess after an excellent previous year. “I believe he is a very balanced player. But maybe after such a strong last year, he played a little too much and now needs some time to get the feeling and taste for the game again,” he said.

Nepo's harsh view of Gukesh

However, Nepomniachtchi took a stricter view of reigning world champion Gukesh's performances. “And speaking of Gukesh, he is a mystery for me. The difference between his best classical games and his weaker tournaments is quite strange. I also believe his rapid and blitz level is significantly below his classical level and rating. That is very unusual for someone of his age because normally young and talented players first shine in quicker formats like rapid and blitz before they catch up in classical chess. In Gukesh’s case, it feels completely the opposite.” Nepo said.

While discussing Russia’s decline in world chess, Nepomniachtchi also referred to Indian players' live ratings. "I still believe ratings are very fluctuating. For example, a couple of years ago, I think there were maybe three Indians in the top five. Now, I believe there may not even be an Indian in the top 10, although maybe Arjun is back there. But once again, I think it’s insignificant because the current rating system is not completely fair after all,” he said.