Oslo: Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa won the Norway Chess title, becoming the first Indian player to claim the prestigious tournament after defeating Germany’s Vincent Keymer in the final round in Oslo.
Praggnanandhaa entered the last round in third place with 15 points and needed a classical victory to remain in contention. He secured a full three-point win in his final game, taking his total to 18 points and moving to the top of the standings to clinch the title.
The Indian Grandmaster had a mixed start to the tournament in the six-player elite field but improved steadily in the second half of the competition. His performance included notable victories over world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, defeating him twice in classical games during the event.
The final standings remained open until the conclusion of all games. American Grandmaster Wesley So, who was leading the table with 15.5 points before the final round drew his classical game against Alireza Firouzja.
🇮🇳 PRAGGNANANDHAA IS THE NORWAY CHESS CHAMPION 2026 👏👏👏#NorwayChess
📷 Norway Chess / Tor Nilssen & Kjetil V. Tveito pic.twitter.com/cFEQudz2Em— Norway Chess (@NorwayChess) June 5, 2026
The match went to an Armageddon tie-break, which So won, but he finished with 17 points overall, placing second behind Praggnanandhaa.
Reigning world champion D. Gukesh also participated in the tournament but was unable to finish in contention during the closing rounds and did not challenge for the title in the final stage.
In the final round, Carlsen defeated Praggnanandhaa in their classical game, but the result did not affect the overall standings, as Carlsen finished fifth with 13 points.
The Norway Chess tournament is considered one of the strongest events in the international chess calendar, featuring top-ranked players competing in a combination of classical games and Armageddon tiebreaks. Praggnanandhaa’s victory marks a significant result for Indian chess at the elite level.
