Archive · 29 Aug 2026
Praggnanandhaa Says Competitive Chess Ego Is Not Arrogance
Praggnanandhaa talked about whether the best chess players are arrogant.
He said strong players do have big competitive feelings because they really want to win.
Losing can make them upset and eager to fight back.
But he does not think that means every top player is arrogant.
Hikaru Nakamura had said that all elite players have arrogance and large egos.
Praggnanandhaa also explained that his confidence dropped after a difficult Candidates tournament.
He felt more in control of his thinking during the Bucharest tournament.
That helped his results improve later.
He said players should believe in themselves while still respecting the game and remembering that anyone can have a bad day.
R Praggnanandhaa said elite chess players naturally develop competitive egos because they strongly dislike losing.
He disagreed with Hikaru Nakamura’s claim that every top player is arrogant and needs arrogance to succeed.
Praggnanandhaa said most chess players are nice outside competition, despite wanting to defeat one another over the board.
He said his confidence fell after a disappointing Candidates performance but began returning during the Bucharest tournament.
The Indian grandmaster stressed that confidence requires preparation without assuming anyone is invincible or immune to mistakes.
- Who
- R Praggnanandhaa and Hikaru Nakamura, both elite chess grandmasters.
- What
- Praggnanandhaa responded to Nakamura’s comments about arrogance and discussed confidence, preparation and competition in chess.
- When
- After Praggnanandhaa’s Grand Chess Tour win and Nakamura’s recent YouTube-stream remarks.
- Where
- The discussion referenced the Candidates tournament and the Bucharest tournament; Praggnanandhaa spoke to The Indian Express.
- Why
- Praggnanandhaa was asked to respond to Nakamura’s claim that arrogance and ego are necessary for success at the highest level.
Competitive Ego Without Arrogance
Arrogance Is Necessary For Success
Meaning of elite-player ego
Competitive Ego Without Arrogance
Praggnanandhaa said players naturally develop a competitive ego because they hate losing, but most chess players are still nice.
Arrogance Is Necessary For Success
Nakamura said every top player is arrogant and has a big ego, even if some players hide those feelings better.
Role in performance
Competitive Ego Without Arrogance
Praggnanandhaa emphasized confidence, preparation and feeling in control rather than assuming that arrogance is required.
Arrogance Is Necessary For Success
Nakamura argued that players need arrogance and ego to become very strong chess competitors.
Confidence and caution
Competitive Ego Without Arrogance
Praggnanandhaa said players should be confident but not overconfident, because no one is invincible and mistakes can happen.
Arrogance Is Necessary For Success
Nakamura’s comments portray strong self-belief and ego as realities shared by all top players.
- Praggnanandhaa’s view
- Competitive ego is common among top players, but it does not mean they are all arrogant.
- Nakamura’s view
- Every top player has arrogance and an ego, which he said are necessary for elite success.
- Confidence setback
- Praggnanandhaa said he lost confidence after a disappointing Candidates performance.
- Confidence recovery
- He said he began feeling more in control during the Bucharest tournament.
- View of winning
- He believes players must try to win while respecting the game.
- Invincibility
- He rejected the idea that confidence makes anyone invincible because any player can have a bad day.