Indian chess coach RB Ramesh has explained the key differences between D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa. He also highlighted who is better among the Indian trio.
Former Indian chess player RB Ramesh, who is now a renowned coach and commentator, has shared his views on what makes India’s three biggest chess stars –
D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and
R Praggnanandhaa – different from each other, and who he believes stands out in which area.
Ramesh, who has coached Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali Rameshbabu and Aravindh Chitambaram, spoke about the trio in an interview with Russian woman grandmaster Dina Belenkaya. His comments have come at a time when all three Indians are competing at the 2026 Tata Steel Chess Masters in Wijk aan Zee.
Speaking about Indian players in general, Ramesh said that they are mentally stronger compared to many players from other countries. “Generally, the Indian players are, in my view, mentally tougher than the rest,” he said.
Ramesh on what separates Gukesh, Pragg, and Arjun
He then went on to explain how Gukesh, Arjun and Praggnanandhaa are very different players. According to Ramesh, Arjun is probably the mentally toughest among the three. He praised Arjun’s ability to bounce back from poor performances.
“I would say Arjun is probably mentally tougher than the other two. His style is more enterprising, and he can bounce back from bad performances. He can play a tournament badly, and in the next tournament, he can be a monster. In my view, he’s kind of a complete player and manages his time much better than the other two,” Ramesh said.
Arjun did well in the 2025 FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships, winning bronze medals in both tournaments. However, he has struggled at the ongoing Tata Steel Masters, losing again in Round 10 to Germany’s Vincent Keymer due to a blunder. With four points from 11 games, Arjun now finds himself at the bottom of the standings.
Ramesh highlighted world champion Gukesh’s biggest weapon as his extreme self-belief. “Then, in the case of Gukesh, I think his main strength is his insane self-belief. He just thinks he is too good, and that helps him; he can do dubious things and still get away with them. That gives him the courage to do risky or insane things, and even in difficult situations, he is still believing in himself. I think that is his main strength,” he said.
This quality was on display at Tata Steel Masters, where Gukesh produced an endgame masterclass to beat young Turkish prodigy Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus with the black pieces. The win took him to five points out of 10, keeping him in contention, though he will need a very strong finish in the final rounds to take the podium.
Ramesh admitted that Praggnanandhaa is the most difficult for him to judge at the moment. He believes Pragg was once the strongest of the three.
“And for Pragg, it keeps varying. I’m myself confused at times, but generally, chess-wise, he was probably the better among the three. I’m just talking as a professional. Chess-wise, I would say his chess was much better than the other two, but I feel in the last two or three years he has kind of molded himself in one particular way. His strengths in other areas are not that visible. So now I feel the main challenge is: can he bring those other strengths back into his form? I think that is his main challenge. That’s how I see it. Some of his main strengths are well-hidden now; they’re not visible at all.”
At Tata Steel Chess Masters, Praggnanandhaa is also struggling and is currently in the lower half of the standings.
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