R Praggnanandhaa's coach reveals what he has been working on with Indian GM: 'The key is to...'

R Praggnanandhaa's coach Joseph Girel has revealed that he joined the Indian grandmaster's team when the prodigy was looking to radically change his team after a decent performance at Candidates 2024.

Praggnanandhaa had been making waves in the chess circuit even before becoming a teenager. At the 2024 Candidates, where D Gukesh won, Praggnanandhaa finished fifth with a score of 7/14. Although a respectable performance, the Indian grandmaster still opted to change his team and Girel became one of the first fresh faces in the side.

After an inconsistent 2025, Praggnanandhaa has bounced back in style this year with a historic triumph at Norway Chess being his biggest win.

Praggnanandhaa and Girel have been working on...

Girel, a grandmaster from France, reveals he met Praggnanandhaa during a training camp in Italy after the 2024 Candidates. He said that the Indian star was not looking for big names to join his team but wanted people who could add fresh perspective to his game.

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"Pragg had just finished fifth in the Candidates Tournament and wanted to completely change the composition of his team. He wasn’t looking for renowned experts or people with extensive experience, but for a fresh perspective on openings and an approach better suited to modern chess," Girel recalled.

"I had a very unique approach to opening preparation, and it worked. So, I became one of the first members of his new team," he said.

Girel feels that working with the Indian prodigy was his biggest project and it helped both the sides involved.

"Working with Pragg is my biggest project to date. Working with him daily allowed me to quickly understand what distinguishes an elite chess player. Before that, I already had a lot of experience working with players around 2600 Elo, who often do not understand their own playing style at all. They misused openings and regularly ended up in positions completely opposite to what they were aiming for.

"It’s important not just to memorize opening lines. The key is to be able to use the opening in a way that best suits your own style," he said.

Girel did not open up much about the things he worked on with Praggnanandhaa but he did hint that openings were the focus are.

"Without going into detail, this is exactly what I work on with Pragg: helping him evaluate the various opening options and choose the ones that best suit his game," Girel said.