R Praggnanandhaa scripted history as he became the first Indian to win the Norway Chess tournament. Praggnanandhaa blew hot and cold in the initial rounds
but picked up steam at the business end of the tournament and won four games in a row to become the champion. Praggnanandhaa defeated Vincent Keymer, while Wesley So finished second after beating GM Alireza Firouzja in Armageddon. Former champion Magnus Carlsen had a tough tournament, but completed a classical double over World Champion D Gukesh to move above Keymer into fourth place. A win alone would not have been enough for Praggnanandhaa to secure the title. He also needed Wesley So to either lose or draw his classical game against Firouzja. Speaking exclusively to Times Now, Praggnanandhaa revealed that he was keeping an eye on the So-Firouzja clash and was relieved when it headed into Armageddon. However, he stressed that the result of that game was beyond his control and that his primary focus remained on defeating Vincent Keymer. "Yeah, I did try to have my eye there, but it's not something I can do anything with that, so I was just trying to focus on my game. Even after winning four in a row, if I'm not winning the tournament, then it's fine. I just had to try and play my game. Obviously, I was happy that Wesley made a draw, but I still had to win my game, so that was the focus," he said. Following his Armageddon win over Firouzja, So remarked that there was only a one percent chance of Praggnanandhaa winning four classical games in a row. Responding to the comment, the Indian Grandmaster said that even one percent sounded generous, admitting that he could never have imagined pulling off such a feat against a field of this strength. "1% is generous obviously. If you asked me before playing these four games if I will win, I would say I just want to win one game before and winning four, especially against this field, it's something that I don't even imagine," he said. Asked about the remarkable turnaround in the second half of the tournament, Praggnanandhaa said there was no magic formula behind it. Instead, he credited better time management and a conscious effort to play faster, which helped him stay in greater control of his games. "There was nothing specific, but I think the conscious effort to play faster and manage the time a bit better was something I tried and I think that worked. I don't know, I felt like in the first half also I was playing well, but some of the things didn't go well for me in this timetable, so that's something that I tried to improve and I think that did change and I was playing with more control in the second half," he said. When asked to pick his favourite game from the tournament, Praggnanandhaa found it difficult to separate his wins over the final two rounds. While he was particularly pleased with how he handled the pressure with the black pieces in one game, he described his victory over Keymer as a clean and high-quality performance. "I would say yesterday or today's game, both are I think good quality. Yesterday especially because with Black, when basically he's throwing everything at you, I think I calculated well and managed to get out of it, so that was good. And also today felt good, I just looked like a clean game." The Norway Chess champion also reflected on the physical and mental demands of the past few weeks. Having played back-to-back elite events, including the Superbet Chess Classic in Romania, Praggnanandhaa admitted he was feeling tired. However, he said the string of victories in Stavanger gave him a fresh burst of energy. "Yeah, it's also funny because four of us played in Romania and I think the top four is that. I'm not sure if Magnus passed, but Vincent won the tournament and Alireza basically played well. I was tired, but I think these wins certainly gave me a lot of energy, so I'm quite happy that it went my way. It's not something that you're thinking when you're winning games," he said. Praggnanandhaa also showed his lighter side when asked how he planned to celebrate the biggest title of his career so far. Rather than elaborate celebrations, the newly-crowned champion joked that he was simply hungry and wanted something to eat. "Right now, I'm just angry, so I'll probably get something to eat." Meanwhile, the popularity of chess continues to grow rapidly in India, with Norway Chess also being broadcast in the country this year. Praggnanandhaa welcomed the development and said he would be delighted if achievements by Indian players helped attract even more people to the sport. "Yeah, I think also, I think it's one of the strongest tournaments, so I'm super happy and if it, you know, helps in growing chess more, I'm happy about that as well." The 19-year-old also shared a personal moment involving his mother, revealing that she had predicted June would bring him good fortune. Looking back after lifting the trophy, Praggnanandhaa admitted that things could hardly have turned out any better. "Yeah, she, I mean, she, I spoke with her on June 1st before the Alireza game and she told me like, you know, June is here, so I mean, things will be good for you and yeah, it can't be any better, so." Looking ahead, Praggnanandhaa said he intends to play a slightly lighter schedule than last year, although plenty of tournaments still await him. His next assignment will be the World Rapid Team Championship, where he will represent Ramesh's Chess Gurukul team before taking a short break from the game.
