R Praganandha created history by becoming the first Indian to win the prestigious Norwegian chess title. The 20-year-old grandmaster completed a stunning comeback in the final round, defeating Germany’s Vincent Kemmer to secure the championship and write his name in the tournament’s history books.Heading into the final round, Praganandha fell behind American Grandmaster Wesley Soo in the standings. Thus leading the tournament with 15.5 points, while the Indian star finished second with 15 points. To lift the trophy, Pragnandha needed to beat Kaymer and Hope Sue dropped points against Alireza Ferozja of France.The results were completely in his favor.
How much prize money did Praganandha win?
For winning Norway Chess 2026, Praganandha will receive 700,000 Norwegian kroner (NOK), which converts to about Rs 70.5 lakh.The tournament had a total prize pool of NOK 1.69 million, which was divided among the six participants based on their final standings.Norway Chess 2026 Prize Money BreakdownFirst place: NOK 700,000Second place: NOK 350,000Third place: NOK 200,0004th place: NOK 170,000Fifth place: NOK 150,000Sixth place: NOK 120,000According to the tournament rules, the prize money is divided among the players who finish on the same score. However, this principle does not apply in the first place. In the event of a championship tie, a playoff or double-round-robin tiebreaker will be used to determine the winner.
How Praganandha sealed the title.
The title winning victory came against Vincent Kaymer at Queen’s Gambit Declined. Pragnanandaa gradually took control of the game before launching a decisive kingside attack.Key moments included the aggressive 33.f5 and the powerful 38.Ne6+, which exposed Black’s king and paved the way for a winning rook end. The victory earned the Indian grandmaster three crucial points and kept his title hopes alive.Meanwhile, Wesley Xu and Alireza Ferozja played a classical draw in their final round match. This result proved to be enough to give Praganananda the championship without the need for an Armageddon tiebreak.
