Dream run: R. Praggnanandhaa (left) beat top guns like Alireza Firouzja, Magnus Carlsen, D. Gukesh and Vincent Keymer in succession during the tournament. | Photo Credit: Michał Walusza/FIDE

He has been around for so long that one hardly realises that he is just 20. From a prodigiously talented boy to a world-beater, R. Praggnanandhaa’s journey has seen several ups and downs, but he has shown the ability to rise from tough times.

The Chennai-born GM was the toast of chess lovers in Oslo as he raised his game in stunning fashion to win four matches on the bounce and take the title at Norway Chess 2026. It is not often that one wins a tournament featuring Magnus Carlsen, that too in his own backyard.

Praggnanandhaa was over the moon after the memorable triumph, the first ever by an Indian in Norway Chess, and said it was special.

“I think this is the biggest win of my career... also stronger in terms of average rating, I think, because you have some 2600s (rating) in Wijk Aan Zee (Tata Steel Chess Tournament). But here it’s just the top players,” he said after beating Germany’s rising star Vincent Keymer in the 10th and final round to storm to the top spot, leapfrogging American Wesley So, who had appeared poised to seal the championship.

“Winning this is more special and Magnus was there” — a remark that shows why Praggnanandhaa rates the performance so highly.

To beat Carlsen once is considered huge in the sport; to do so twice — in the same tournament — is the stuff of legend. Praggnanandhaa did just that, outwitting the World No. 1 in the classical format with some splendid play.

“He won the last four classical games. That’s as clutch as it gets. Pragg is an incredible fighter and it is fun to see him get rewarded for that,” Carlsen, who is not known to throw praise around, said while congratulating the champion.

The Norwegian, who has been World No. 1 since July 2011 and has dominated the sport, winning almost everything on offer, looked a pale shadow of himself in Oslo as he struggled to close out games that he would have wrapped up rather easily at other times.

For Praggnanandhaa, it was the kind of comeback a player could only dream of — from languishing at the bottom of the standings after the sixth round to finishing on top of the podium.

The young Indian will savour this victory because he has not had the best of times over the past year or so. Perhaps the Oslo special could prove to be the catalyst for bigger things to come.

After the initial setbacks in the tournament, nothing fundamentally changed in his approach, he said.

But he did make a key adjustment that brought about a change in fortunes after the tepid start.

“A conscious effort to play faster certainly helped in my games. I had more time than my opponents in most of the games,” he said.

To get the better of Frenchman Alireza Firouzja, Carlsen, Gukesh and Keymer in succession — and convincingly at that — was an indication of the quality of his play and how good he can be on his day.

Praggnanandhaa is known to be highly resilient and possesses a rich repertoire of openings and elite defensive skills to complement his attacking instincts. All these qualities were on display in the tournament as he rose from the ashes like a phoenix with such stunning efficiency that it left his opponents searching for answers.

Looking ahead to the coming months, Praggnanandhaa said he plans to play fewer tournaments than last year to better manage his schedule and workload.

However, he confirmed that he will feature in the World Rapid Team Championship for Chess Gurukul, scheduled from June 16 to 22 in Hong Kong.

During the tournament, he had spoken about overcoming the disappointment of a below-par performance in the FIDE Candidates 2026 and the toll of playing too many tournaments.

He said he felt the need to take breaks as he had been playing constantly and would think about it at some point. Maybe a call with his mother during the tournament, when she told him, ‘It is a new month, you will play well,’ helped as he turned the tables on the rest of the field.

While Praggnanandhaa showed why he is rated so highly, compatriot and World champion D. Gukesh  stumbled from one loss to another in the tournament, with critics sharpening their knives over his dip in form. Strangely, he could not raise his level of play and went down in each of his last three classical matches to finish last in a high-quality field.

With the World Championship match scheduled later this year against Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov, the difficulties continued to mount for Gukesh. It was another disappointing performance for the Indian, who turned 20 during the tournament. Things should ideally get better from here for the champion, who will aim to defend his title successfully.

In the women’s event, which offered equal prize money, the Indians — Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy — brought up the rear, finishing fifth and sixth respectively.

While Divya began brightly before losing steam, Humpy’s campaign never really took off as she failed to convert promising positions even when she had the upper hand.

Divya, playing in Norway Chess for the first time, exhibited flair and was the one to beat in the first half before her campaign ran into rough weather.

The Women’s World Cup winner showcased the talent that made chess aficionados sit up and take notice, but it wasn’t enough in a quality line-up that saw Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva romp to victory with a round to spare.

That said, Norway Chess 2026 proved to be India’s moment in the sun, with Praggnanandhaa reaffirming why the nation’s players are among the most admired and feared competitors in the game.

Published on Jun 17, 2026