New Delhi: India’s R Praggnanandhaa completed a remarkable turnaround to win the prestigious Norway Chess 2026 title after defeating Germany’s Vincent Keymer in the final round in Oslo on Friday.
Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian player to win Norway Chess, one of the sport’s most respected events.
The triumph marks the 20-year-old grandmaster’s first tournament victory of the year. More importantly, it caps an extraordinary late surge after a difficult phase in the competition, according to reports.
Praggnanandhaa entered the closing stages with momentum on his side. After suffering two consecutive defeats earlier in the event, he bounced back with four straight classical victories. His winning run included triumphs over Alireza Firouzja, world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, reigning world champion D. Gukesh, and finally Keymer.
The Indian star also achieved a notable feat by defeating Carlsen twice during the tournament.
Just days earlier, Praggnanandhaa had found himself near the bottom of the standings. However, a string of strong performances pushed him back into title contention and eventually to the top of the leaderboard.
His championship hopes received an additional boost when overnight leader Wesley So drew his final-round classical game against Firouzja. The result ended both players’ chances of securing the title.
Carlsen ended a disappointing campaign on a positive note by beating Gukesh in the final round. The world champion finished at the bottom of the standings.
In the women’s tournament, Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva had already secured the title before the final round. She lost her last game to China’s Ju Wenjun but still finished on top with 16.5 points.
China’s Zhu Jiner defeated India’s Koneru Humpy to claim second place with 16 points. Ukraine’s Anna Muzychuk secured third spot after overcoming India’s Divya Deshmukh in the final round.
