'This will top all my wins so far': Praggnanandhaa on conquering chess's toughest field

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa has described his historic Norway Chess triumph as the most significant achievement of his career after becoming the first Indian to win the prestigious tournament.

The 20-year-old secured the title with a final-round victory over Germany's Vincent Keymer, completing a remarkable turnaround after finding himself near the bottom of the standings in the early stages of the competition. His win earned him three points and took his tally to 18, enough to finish ahead of a star-studded field that included world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, reigning world champion D Gukesh, Alireza Firouzja and Wesley So.

Praggnanandhaa's title charge gathered momentum with four consecutive victories, including crucial wins over Firouzja, Carlsen, Gukesh and Keymer. The run helped him recover from a difficult start, which included a 0-3 defeat to Firouzja in the second round.

Reflecting on the achievement, Praggnanandhaa said the manner of the victory made it even more memorable.

"I'm super happy with the result, and especially to do it in this manner, to win four games in a row and to come back from the last place is something that you never imagine four days back," he said.

Calling it a "special tournament win", the young Grandmaster added that it would "top all my wins so far".

Praggnanandhaa also highlighted the difficulty of the Norway Chess format, describing it as one of the toughest events on the global chess calendar due to the quality of opposition and the constant pressure throughout each game.

"I think this is like the strongest tournament in the chess world, where there is just no weak link. You can't target anyone and get those points," he said.

A standout feature of his campaign was a rare double over Carlsen, with Praggnanandhaa defeating the Norwegian in both Round 3 and Round 8. Despite the victories, he remained full of admiration for the former world champion.

"To me, he's the GOAT. I've seen him dominate the chess scene for the last 15 years or so," Praggnanandhaa said, adding that Carlsen's games had inspired him throughout his childhood.

However, he said he puts Carlsen's reputation aside when they meet across the board and instead focuses on the challenge of the game itself.

"When I play Magnus, it excites me and brings my best. We end up having some crazy fights in every game," he said.

Praggnanandhaa stressed that beating Carlsen was important primarily because it contributed to winning the tournament.

"For me, more than beating him, I think it helped in the way to win the tournament, so that's more important for me," he added.

The Grandmaster also pointed to the rapid rise of chess in India, saying the sport had grown dramatically over the past five to six years.

"If you ask me where chess was five or six years back and where chess is now, it's just incredible growth," he said, while expressing gratitude for the increasing support and recognition received by Indian players.

Praggnanandhaa, who is backed by Adani Sportsline under its 'Garv Hai' initiative, also acknowledged the role of corporate support in helping players manage training and international travel commitments.

"Chess training and travelling to tournaments can be a tough thing for normal people. Support from corporates helps you manage all these things so that I just have to focus on the game," he said.

The Norway Chess title adds another landmark achievement to Praggnanandhaa's rapidly growing career and further underlines India's emergence as a major force in world chess.