OSLO: R Praggnanandhaa claimed one of the biggest Classical titles of his career as he won Norway Chess on Friday night. At one point of time in the tournament, one of the most prestigious of the traditional formats in the calendar, the 20-year-old wasn't part of the leaderboard. But a sensational second half of the tournament enabled him to win the title in front of an expectant crowd at the Deichman Bjorvika.
He completed the stirring fightback thanks to a Classical win over Vincent Keymer with the white pieces on the day. It was his fourth consecutive Classical win. Coming into the 10th and final round, US' Wesley So was leading by half a point compared to the Indian (15.5 to 15). So, in theory, So was the one who controlled the fate of the tournament. But he played out a drab draw with Alireza Firouzja in a few hours.
It opened the door for Pragg, who suddenly knew that he would win the tournament as long as he won his fourth game on the bounce. He got an edge out of the opening but it wasn't decisive per the engines.
However, his position was devoid of risk so he decided to push and prod his way. Luckily for him, the German made a few small errors right when the match entered endgame. The Indian made small, small improvements in the position and was threatening to strike when the German made the committal 30) h5 on the board. That started a sequence of moves which saw Keymer, one of the form players of 2026, lose his rook in the process; ending up on the receiving end of an exchange sacrifice.
In the subsequent endgame, the Indian was comfortably better as he had a rook-knight compared to his opponent's bishop-knight. Both players' pieces danced around the board for a while longer but Keymer's handshake followed soon after.
Even if Pragg's smile was understated, this has been an epic performance by the Indian Super GM, especially the string of victories he has had over the last few days. It started with Firouzja before further wins against Magnus Carlsen, D Gukesh and, now, Keymer. In a format such as this, beating four of the world's top-25 players with both colours in under a week is a feat worth celebrating. It's also the first win by an Indian at Norway Chess.
