Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa created history by becoming the first ever Indian to win the Norway Chess title in Stavanger on 6 June 2026. The 20-year-old player from Chennai sealed the prestigious closed super tournament with a final-round classical victory over Germanys Vincent Keymer with black pieces and finished on 18 points, ahead of five-time world champion and world number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway and reigning World Chess Champion D Gukesh of India.
Since the inception of Norway Chess in 2013, no Indian player including Viswanathan Anand had won the prestigious event, which is consistently regarded as one of the strongest closed tournaments on the FIDE circuit. The 2026 edition was a six-player double round-robin classical contest with an Armageddon tiebreak, in which Praggnanandhaa entered the final round in second place and held his nerve under pressure. After a slow start in the opening rounds, he mounted a remarkable comeback by winning four consecutive classical games in the second half, including key victories that propelled him to the top of the standings.
The victory has carried Praggnanandhaa past the 2780 mark in live classical ratings and consolidated Indias position as a chess superpower alongside Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and Vidit Gujrathi. It also continues the generational shift led by young Indian Grandmasters trained at the All India Chess Federation and academies linked to Viswanathan Anand. The Norway Chess title adds to Praggnanandhaas growing collection of elite victories and strengthens Indias preparation for the 2026 FIDE Candidates cycle and the Chess Olympiad.