Praggnanandhaa becomes first Indian to win Norway Chess title

• Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian to win the Norway Chess Championship defeating Germany’s Vincent Keymer in Oslo on June 5.

• Praggnanandhaa began the final round in second place with 15 points. He secured a classical win worth three full points to finish on 18 points and clinch one of the most coveted trophies in elite chess.

• Competing in Norway Chess for only the second time, Praggnanandhaa had a slow start but gathered momentum in the second half of the tournament.

• In his campaign, Praggnanandhaa defeated world No.1 and seven-time champion Magnus Carlsen twice.

• Praggnanandhaa 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.

• American Grandmaster Wesley So finished second with 17 points, while France’s Alireza Firouzja was at third place with 15.5 points.

• In the women’s section, Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva delivered a stellar performance and clinched the Norway Chess Women 2026 title with a round to spare.