Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa made history as he became the first Indian to win the Norway Chess title with a final-round victory over Germany’s Vincent Keymer in Oslo on Friday.
Praggnanandhaa started the day at third place with 15 points, but secured a classical win, bagging three full points to finish on 18 points and clinch one of the most coveted trophies in elite chess.
In doing so, the 20-year-old from Chennai achieved a feat that had eluded even Indian chess legend Viswanathan Anand and reigning world champion D Gukesh among others, since the tournament’s inception in 2013.
Competing in Norway Chess for only the second time, Praggnanandhaa started off slow in the elite six-player field before gathering momentum in the second half of the event.
Praggnanandhaa’s campaign was marked by a stunning achievement. He defeated World No. 1 and seven-time Norway Chess champion Magnus Carlsen twice in classical chess, a feat very few players have managed. It was a strong response from the young Indian after a disappointing outing at the Candidates Tournament in Paphos earlier this year.
As reigning world champion Gukesh slipped out of the title race in the final stages, Praggnanandhaa kept India’s hopes alive and eventually went on to clinch the trophy.
The title race took a dramatic turn in the final round. American Grandmaster Wesley So, who started the day on top of the standings with 15.5 points, could only draw his classical game against Alireza Firouzja. The result pushed their match into an Armageddon tie-break.
That gave Praggnanandhaa a golden opportunity. Knowing that a win in his classical game against Vincent Keymer would take him to the top of the leaderboard, he delivered when it mattered most and secured one of the biggest titles of his career.
