R Praggnanandhaa scripted history, becoming the first Indian to win the prestigious Norway Chess title, after a final-round victory against Germany’s Vincent Keymer in Oslo on Friday. The 20-year-old started the day in third position with 15 points. He delivered when it mattered the most, beating Keymer to get three full points as he finished on 18.
He 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.
This was Praggnanandhaa’s second appearance at Norway Chess. His campaign also included beating Magnus Carlsen twice in classical chess, a rare achievement for any player.
Reflecting on his title-winning run after the match, Praggnanandhaa revealed that he drew inspiration from his mother throughout the tournament.
“I was speaking to my mother on June 1, before Alireza’s game, and she was telling me, ‘it’s a new month, you’ll play well!’ It’s just one of those things that mum always says, and then these four games I won. She knew something, I guess,” he said.
Meanwhile, world No. 1 Carlsen ended a disappointing tournament on a high by completing a classical double over D Gukesh to move above Keymer into fourth spot.
Reacting to Praggnanandhaa’s title-clinching victory, Carlsen said, “That’s pretty insane! That’s as clutch as it gets, and it just shows that it would have been possible for me as well with a similar finish, but yeah, that’s incredible. It shows you the volatility of the system and he is an incredible fighter and it’s fun to see him get rewarded for that.”
Praggnanandhaa faced Keymer in the final round. The early stages of the game saw both players visit the confessional, with the German doing so for the first time.
It was a tight contest, but Keymer lost concentration in the endgame, leading to the Indian GM’s victory. His Elo rating once again crossed the 2750 mark, and he also put behind him the disappointment of missing out on the Candidates Tournament. Praggnanandhaa revealed that his sister, Vaishali Rameshbabu, qualifying for the World Championships helped cushion the blow.
“I decided I don’t want to think about the next Candidates already at this point—I just want to chill and enjoy the games, and that’s what I’m doing,” he said.
GM Bibisara Assaubayeva won the women’s section title on Thursday with a round to spare.
