What is the story about?
Despite beating Magnus Carlsen in the third round, Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa had been having a mixed run in the first half of this year's Norway Chess in Oslo.
The Indian Grandmaster had begun his campaign with an Armageddon victory over Wesley So, but would lose to Alireza Firouzja in the very next round. By the time the sixth round was done and dusted last Sunday, Praggnanandhaa found himself at the bottom of the six-player table with just 6 points – half-a-point behind compatriot and world champion D Gukesh.
Pragg had, at that point, suffered defeats against Gukesh and Wesley in consecutive games, and it appeared as if the 20-year-old would was destined for another underwhelming campaign after finishing seventh out of eight players at the Fide Candidates in April. That, however, would mark the beginning of one of the most incredible comeback stories ever witnessed in chess.
Praggnanandhaa, after all, would go on to collect four Classical wins in as many rounds – completing an unprecedented double against world No 1 Carlsen along the way. The winning streak not only helped him claw his way back into the top half of the table but also helped him become the first Indian to win the prestigious tournament.
In an interview with the broadcasters after his victory over Vincent Keymer with white pieces in the 10th and final round on Friday, Praggnanandhaa revealed how a phone call from his mother Nagalakshmi right before his winning streak turned out to be prophetic.
"I was speaking to my mother on 1st June, before Alireza’s game, and she was telling me, ‘It’s a new month. You’ll play well’. And then I was like, ‘Okay, it’s just one of these things that Mom always says’. And then I win four games at once. She knew something I guess," newly-crowned Norway Chess champion said on
Chess24 after his victory.
A key area of focus for Praggnanandhaa in his quest to revive his campaign in Norway was to improve his time management on the board and avoid getting into a mad scramble in the endgame. That was the common link between his four consecutive wins as Praggnanandhaa's smart time management perfectly complemented his on-board strategy and allowed him to dictate terms until the very end.
"Somehow things went all my way. I also feel I started playing with more control, which is always a good thing.
"It’s just that I decided I will play a bit faster than I was doing. I was having time advantage in every game and I was also able to play decent quality moves, so I think that certainly helped," Praggnanandhaa continued.
As for Friday's showdown against German GM Keymer, Praggnanandhaa was visibly excited the moment he noticed a mistake by his opponent and realised he was closing in on the biggest victory of his career. Pragg got up from his seat and paced around the playing area for a bit in order to calm his nerves, before returning to the board to finish the job.
Praggnanandhaa later revealed that while he was confident of winning the game, he couldn't afford to relax and let his guard down until the job was finally done.
"By few moves, I knew that I was going to win. But I still wanted to make sure because… once I played knight e6, I couldn’t think anymore. I was just making moves with my hand. I think it is such a good winning position that you just can’t miss it out, but I was still worried. Once he resigned is when I relaxed.
"Any tournament you win, you’re happy. Especially when Magnus is there, it’s extra special. And also to win in such a way. I’m super happy," Praggnanandhaa further revealed.
While Praggnanandhaa made history in Oslo, the other Indians competing in the event signed off on a disappointing note, with Gukesh losing to Carlsen in the final round to finish at the bottom of the 'Open' standings with just 8 points.
It was a similar story in the women's section, where Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy finished fifth and sixth respectively, losing to Anna Muzychuk and Zhu Jiner respectively. While Humpy signed off from the tournament as the only player in either category without a single Classical win, it was even more disappointing for Divya considering she was leading the pack at one stage.
The women's section also has a first-time champion this year with Kazakhstan's Bibisara Assaubayeva winning the event in style on Thursday with a round to spare.
The Indian Grandmaster had begun his campaign with an Armageddon victory over Wesley So, but would lose to Alireza Firouzja in the very next round. By the time the sixth round was done and dusted last Sunday, Praggnanandhaa found himself at the bottom of the six-player table with just 6 points – half-a-point behind compatriot and world champion D Gukesh.
Pragg had, at that point, suffered defeats against Gukesh and Wesley in consecutive games, and it appeared as if the 20-year-old would was destined for another underwhelming campaign after finishing seventh out of eight players at the Fide Candidates in April. That, however, would mark the beginning of one of the most incredible comeback stories ever witnessed in chess.
How a phone call with his mother changed Pragg's fortunes
Praggnanandhaa, after all, would go on to collect four Classical wins in as many rounds – completing an unprecedented double against world No 1 Carlsen along the way. The winning streak not only helped him claw his way back into the top half of the table but also helped him become the first Indian to win the prestigious tournament.
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) June 5, 2026
In an interview with the broadcasters after his victory over Vincent Keymer with white pieces in the 10th and final round on Friday, Praggnanandhaa revealed how a phone call from his mother Nagalakshmi right before his winning streak turned out to be prophetic.
"I was speaking to my mother on 1st June, before Alireza’s game, and she was telling me, ‘It’s a new month. You’ll play well’. And then I was like, ‘Okay, it’s just one of these things that Mom always says’. And then I win four games at once. She knew something I guess," newly-crowned Norway Chess champion said on
A key area of focus for Praggnanandhaa in his quest to revive his campaign in Norway was to improve his time management on the board and avoid getting into a mad scramble in the endgame. That was the common link between his four consecutive wins as Praggnanandhaa's smart time management perfectly complemented his on-board strategy and allowed him to dictate terms until the very end.
"Somehow things went all my way. I also feel I started playing with more control, which is always a good thing.
"It’s just that I decided I will play a bit faster than I was doing. I was having time advantage in every game and I was also able to play decent quality moves, so I think that certainly helped," Praggnanandhaa continued.
It's not over until it's over
As for Friday's showdown against German GM Keymer, Praggnanandhaa was visibly excited the moment he noticed a mistake by his opponent and realised he was closing in on the biggest victory of his career. Pragg got up from his seat and paced around the playing area for a bit in order to calm his nerves, before returning to the board to finish the job.
Seconds before Pragg became the Norway Chess Champion 2026 🥳🇮🇳🔥 #NorwayChess pic.twitter.com/u1MlQujfzy
— Norway Chess (@NorwayChess) June 5, 2026
Praggnanandhaa later revealed that while he was confident of winning the game, he couldn't afford to relax and let his guard down until the job was finally done.
"By few moves, I knew that I was going to win. But I still wanted to make sure because… once I played knight e6, I couldn’t think anymore. I was just making moves with my hand. I think it is such a good winning position that you just can’t miss it out, but I was still worried. Once he resigned is when I relaxed.
"Any tournament you win, you’re happy. Especially when Magnus is there, it’s extra special. And also to win in such a way. I’m super happy," Praggnanandhaa further revealed.
A disappointing end for Gukesh, Divya and Humpy
While Praggnanandhaa made history in Oslo, the other Indians competing in the event signed off on a disappointing note, with Gukesh losing to Carlsen in the final round to finish at the bottom of the 'Open' standings with just 8 points.
It was a similar story in the women's section, where Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy finished fifth and sixth respectively, losing to Anna Muzychuk and Zhu Jiner respectively. While Humpy signed off from the tournament as the only player in either category without a single Classical win, it was even more disappointing for Divya considering she was leading the pack at one stage.
The women's section also has a first-time champion this year with Kazakhstan's Bibisara Assaubayeva winning the event in style on Thursday with a round to spare.
