STAVANGER, Norway : Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa made history on Friday by becoming the first Indian to win the prestigious Norway Chess title, securing victory with a final-round win over Germany’s Vincent Keymer.
The 20-year-old entered the final day in third place on 15 points but rose to the occasion when it mattered most, defeating Keymer in their classical game to earn three points and finish on a winning total of 18.
The triumph marks a landmark achievement for the Chennai-born player, succeeding where Indian great Viswanathan Anand and reigning world champion D Gukesh had fallen short since the tournament’s inception in 2013.
Playing in Norway Chess for only the second time, Praggnanandhaa recovered from a slow start in the six-player field and gathered momentum in the latter stages of the competition.
A standout feature of his campaign was his success against world number one Magnus Carlsen, whom he defeated twice in classical chess, a rare feat against the seven-time Norway Chess champion.
With Gukesh slipping out of contention during the closing rounds, Praggnanandhaa carried India’s hopes and capitalised on a dramatic final day.
American Grandmaster Wesley So began the round atop the standings on 15.5 points but could only draw his classical game against Alireza Firouzja, sending the match into an Armageddon tie-break.
The result opened the door for Praggnanandhaa, who knew victory over Keymer in classical play would be enough to claim the title. Although So won the Armageddon game, earning 1.5 points to finish on 17, he ended one point behind the Indian champion.
Firouzja finished third on 15.5 points.
Meanwhile, Gukesh’s difficult tournament continued as he failed to mount a title challenge in his third appearance at the event, despite preparing for a year in which he is expected to defend his world crown against challenger Javokhir Sindarov.
Carlsen concluded the tournament by defeating Gukesh with the white pieces in the final round, collecting three points. However, the win was insufficient to revive his title hopes, and the Norwegian finished fifth overall on 13 points.
