Praggnanandhaa is his own man, he's handling himself mostly: coach Ramesh
Chennai (PTI): Teenaged Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa is breaking new grounds in the the Chess World Cup, scalping higher-rated opponents one after the other, but he is "handling himself mostly" as far as the nuances of the game are concerned.
Praggnanandhaa is on his own at the Azerbaijan capital of Baku as his personal coach RB Ramesh is away in another country. His mother Nagalakshmi is looking after him but not for matters relating to the tactics of the game.
"He (Praggnanandhaa) is handling himself mostly. I am just chatting on WhatsApp with him," Ramesh, himself a Grandmaster, told PTI.
"Praggnanandhaa is following a routine like sleeping nine hours at night, not skipping any meal, walking in the evening after the game and preparing four hours before the match (es)."
Despite the absence of a personal coach on tour, Praggnanandhaa has only got better with each match and overcome nerve-wracking tie-breaks, including the one against talented compatriot Arjun Erigaisi.
He has been on a roll, beating top stars like Hikaru Nakamura (world No.2) and Fabiano Caruana (world No.3) on way to the summit clash.
By becoming the only Indian player after legendary Viswanathan Anand to book a spot in the Candidates tournament, the 18-year-old wonderkid from Chennai has proved that he will be the name to reckon with in future.
Grandmaster M Shyam Sundar, who is in Baku as the coach of the Indian contingent, said the players in general have their own routine and he was keeping them in good spirits through various activities.
"Players in general here have their own routine and have their own team helping in different parts of the world. I go for walks, play table tennis with them to keep them in good spirits, arrange good food for them, provide personal care to them and have casual discussions about the game," Sundar said.
He said whenever his wards play tie-breaks, he would be in the playing hall, watch their games and make himself available throughout in case the players want some last minute discussions.
Sundar said the presence of his mother Nagalakshmi is a huge support for Praggnanandhaa and that is evident in his performance.
Praggnanandhaa too had said during the course of the World Cup that his mother has been a calming influence on him.
"Definitely good to have someone here. My mother is always supportive! Even after losing games, she was just trying to calm me down," he said.
"It's good to have someone rooting for you here, and for me my mother is a big support - not only for me, for my sister as well."
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Delhi Polls: BJP faces protest, placates MLA amid resentment over ticket distribution
New Delhi, Jan 12: Resentment surfaced in the BJP on Sunday over ticket distribution for Delhi Assembly polls, with a protest held outside its Delhi unit office and an angry outburst by the outgoing MLA from Karawal Nagar who was not included in the candidate list released a day earlier.
As MLA Mohan Singh Bisht threatened to revolt after being denied a ticket from Karawal Nagar, the party rushed to control the damage and announced his candidature from the Mustafabad seat this evening.
A group of protesters from Tughlakabad in South Delhi held a dharna at the gate of the Delhi BJP office, demanding a change in the candidate from the constituency.
"Vikram Bidhuri Tum Sangharsh Karo; Modi Se Bair Nahi, Rohtas Teri Khair Nahi," the protesters, including mostly youngsters, chanted as the party leaders tried to pacify them.
In the second list of BJP candidates for the polls declared on Saturday, Rohtas Bidhuri was fielded from the Tughlakabad seat. In 2020 Assembly polls, Vikram Bidhuri who is a relative of senior party leader Ramesh Bidhuri, lost to AAP's Sahiram by over 13,000 votes.
A similar protest was also held by some party workers outside the Delhi BJP office against Mehrauli candidate Gajainder Yadav after the announcement of the first list of candidates earlier this month.
Bisht, the senior-most BJP MLA in the outgoing Assembly elected five times from Karawal Nagar, openly expressed unhappiness over being denied the ticket to contest from his stronghold.
A senior party leader said he was pacified after a meeting with BJP chief JP Nadda.
Bisht, after getting the ticket from Mustafabad, expressed confidence that he would win the seat for the BJP.
"I met the national president and things were ironed out. I have assured that I will contest from Mustafabad and win the seat for the party," Bisht told PTI.
The MLA said he and the BJP had considerable support in Mustafabad and he has already attended two public meetings there.
The BJP won the Mustafabad seat, having a significant minority community presence, in the 2015 Assembly polls but lost it to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2020.
Earlier in the day, Bisht told PTI that the party's decision to replace him with Kapil Mishra was "wrong" and its consequences will be visible after voting on February 5.
"You have challenged the 'samaj' (his Uttarakhandi community), not Mohan Singh Bisht. The BJP will lose at least 8-10 seats because of this decision, including Karawal Nagar, Burari, Mustafabad and Gokalpuri," Bisht warned.
The BJP fielded Kapil Mishra, a Hindutva hardliner, from Karwal Nagar in North East Delhi, which was rocked by massive communal violence just after the 2020 Assembly polls.
Sources in the party claimed that there was also "deep resentment" among the Delhi BJP's Scheduled Castes Morcha leaders over being denied tickets from different constituencies including Madipur and Kondli.
A top Delhi BJP functionary stressed that there are many ticket aspirants, so it is natural for those who did not get selected to feel disappointed.
"The BJP is a disciplined party and its leaders understand this. Sooner or later, everyone will realise this and work for the victory of the party giving up their resentment," he said.
The elections to 70 Assembly seats in Delhi are scheduled on February 5. Results will be out after the counting of votes on February 8.
The BJP, out of power in Delhi since 1998, is making all-out efforts to return to power. In the 2015 and 2020 Assembly polls, the party was completely routed by the AAP, scraping through with just three and eight seats, respectively.
