New Delhi, June 6 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa after the 20-year-old became the first Indian to win the prestigious Norway Chess title, hailing the achievement as a reflection of his continued excellence on the global stage.
Taking to X after Praggnanandhaa's historic triumph in Oslo, Modi wrote: "Congratulations to Praggnanandhaa for this remarkable feat! This is indeed an incredible milestone that highlights his continued excellence. My best wishes to him for his future endeavours."
The Prime Minister's words came as Praggnanandhaa recorded one of the most remarkable comebacks in the history of elite tournament, defeating Germany's Vincent Keymer in round 10, and thus winning the event outright.
The Chennai-based Grandmaster entered the 10th and last round half a point behind overnight leader Wesley So. As soon as So drew against Alireza Firouzja, the young Indian took the chance and converted a better middlegame position into a deserved win over Keymer in the 45 th move. He took 18 points, and he became one point ahead of the American, and his prize-money was $100,000.
The accomplishment seemed much more spectacular given the scenario at the end of round six: Praggnanandhaa was at the bottom of the table with no other player ranked beneath him and his performance in Norway's most prestigious chess tournament seemed destined to disappoint. Then, the Indian pulled a phenomenal sprint finishing, winning the last four classical games, to make a comeback.
The streak was actually composed by two wins against world No.1 Magnus Carlsen, one win over the reigning world champion D Gukesh in the penultimate round, which secured his comeback at the top contenders, as well as a win over Keymer in the previous round (1-0 in round nine). Actually, it was the first time four classical games were won in a row at Norway Chess since Carlsen achieved such a sequence in 2011.
Praggnanandhaa, who played with the white pieces against Keymer, had benefited from a few mistakes on the German's side in the middlegame and converted his advantage into a clear win. That win was an amazing comeback for a player whose world ranking had dropped to 16 on June 1. Carlsen ended fourth on 13 points (winning his last game against Gukesh), Firouzja was third on 15.5 points, Keymer placed fifth, and Gukesh, current world Champion, concluded last on six points.
--IANS
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