Gautam Adani, Founder and Chairman of the Adani Group, congratulated R Praggnanandhaa after the young Grandmaster became the first Indian to win the prestigious Norway Chess title.
Sharing a message on X, Gautam Adani described the event as one of the ultimate tests of endurance, intellect and temperament in world chess. He praised Praggnanandhaa for defeating the world’s best players on one of the sport’s grandest stages and called the achievement a remarkable feat.
The Adani Group Chairman also lauded Praggnanandhaa’s approach to the game, describing him as ‘Fearless – Focused – Deeply Indian’. He said the Grandmaster represented the confidence of a rising and youthful India and added that the entire nation was proud of his accomplishment.
Congratulations to Praggnanandhaa on becoming the first Indian to win the Norway Chess tournament – one of the ultimate tests of endurance, intellect and temperament in the world of chess.
To defeat the world’s absolute best on one of chess’s grandest stages is a remarkable… pic.twitter.com/Cm8hncebV5
— Gautam Adani (@gautam_adani) June 6, 2026
How Praggnanandhaa Won the Title
Praggnanandhaa secured the championship with a decisive victory over Vincent Keymer in the tournament’s final round in Oslo.
The Indian Grandmaster gradually took control of the contest after Keymer committed crucial errors and converted his advantage into a winning position after 45 moves.
The victory lifted Praggnanandhaa to 18 points, allowing him to finish atop the standings and become the first Indian player to claim the Norway Chess title.
The triumph appeared unlikely midway through the tournament, with Praggnanandhaa languishing at the bottom of the standings after six rounds.
Praggnanandhaa staged a dramatic recovery by registering four consecutive classical victories, transforming a difficult campaign into one of the finest achievements of his career.
The strong finish enabled him to overtake Wesley So, who entered the final day as the tournament leader but eventually finished second after drawing with Alireza Firouzja.
Firouzja ended the competition in third place on 15.5 points, while world number one Magnus Carlsen finished fourth with 13 points.
A key factor behind Praggnanandhaa’s success was his ability to deliver against the world’s best players under pressure. His title-winning campaign included two victories over Carlsen as well as an important win against reigning world champion D Gukesh.
The run of four successive classical wins also ended a long wait for such a streak at Norway Chess, making Praggnanandhaa the first player to achieve the feat since Carlsen recorded four consecutive victories in 2021.
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