Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Magnus Carlsen hailed R Praggnanandhaa as an “incredible fighter” after the Indian Grandmaster completed a remarkable comeback to win the Norway Chess 2026 title, becoming the first player from India to claim the prestigious crown.
Praggnanandhaa sealed the title with a victory over Vincent Keymer in the final round on Friday, finishing the tournament with four consecutive classical wins. The 20-year-old’s late surge helped him edge past a world-class field that included world No. 1 Carlsen.
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“He won the last four classical games. That’s as clutch as it gets. Pragg is an incredible fighter, and it is fun to see him get rewarded for that,” Carlsen said.
The Norwegian, who suffered defeats in both his classical encounters against Praggnanandhaa during the tournament, admitted he was stunned by the Indian’s finish.
“That’s pretty insane! That’s as clutch as it gets, and it just shows that it would have been possible for me as well with a similar finish,” Carlsen said after learning how the title race had unfolded.
“But yeah, that’s incredible. It shows you the volatility of the system and he is an incredible fighter. It’s fun to see him get rewarded for that.”
Praggnanandhaa’s triumph was one of the most significant achievements of his young career. He became the first Indian champion in Norway Chess since the tournament’s inception in 2013 and did so after defeating Carlsen twice in classical games – a rare accomplishment against the seven-time winner and one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.
The title was secured in a field where all six players in the Open section were rated above 2700, with Carlsen entering the tournament as the highest-rated player at 2840.
Despite his victories over Carlsen, Praggnanandhaa said winning the tournament itself meant more than any individual result.
“Winning the matches against Carlsen helped in winning the tournament, so every point counts here. I’m overall happy that I managed to come back like this from a poor start. For me, it’s more special that I won a tournament, especially when Magnus is here,” he said.
Praggnanandhaa also pointed to his participation in the Superbet Chess Classic Romania as useful preparation for Norway Chess. The Indian had travelled directly from Bucharest to Oslo after competing in the Grand Chess Tour event.
“I guess maybe we were warmed up after playing in Bucharest. I think we were looking forward to playing here. So maybe we were more warmed up, but I don’t know,” he said.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
