New Delhi, June 6 (IANS) Industrialist Gautam Adani led the tributes for Indian chess star R Praggnanandhaa after the 20-year-old scripted history by becoming the first Indian to win the prestigious Norway Chess title.

Taking to X after Praggnanandhaa’s remarkable triumph in Oslo, Adani praised the Chennai Grandmaster’s achievement and the manner in which he has emerged as one of the brightest faces of Indian sport.

“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 feat. But what makes it even more special is the spirit with which Pragg plays. Fearless – Focused – Deeply Indian. @rpraggnachess, you represent the confidence of a rising, youthful India. The entire nation is incredibly proud of you, Pragg.”

The congratulatory message arrived hours after Praggnanandhaa had scripted what could be regarded as one of the best comebacks in elite chess history, defeating Germany’s Vincent Keymer in the tenth and final round to lift the title outright.

With white, Praggnanandhaa capitalised on Keymer’s errors in the middlegame before finishing off his advantage into a convincing victory on the 45th move. The win saw him score 18 points and seal the title and the top prize of $100,000.

It was all the more sensational given his position midway through the tournament. At the end of the sixth round, Praggnanandhaa was at the bottom of the heap but produced a stunning streak of four straight classical wins to save himself.

The Indian GM ended one point clear of the overnight leader and American GM Wesley So, who could only draw his last round encounter against Alireza Firouzja and settled for 17 points.

The win gained some momentum when So allowed an early draw with Firouzja and Praggnanandhaa surged ahead once he completed the conversion from his superior position against Keymer to victory.

Firouzja ended up in third place with 15.5 points while world number one Magnus Carlsen finished at a surprising fourth place with 13 points and suffered two losses against the Indian GM in the tournament.

Keymer finished fifth with 11 points while current world champion D Gukesh finished at the bottom and sixth place with just 8 points following a disastrous run.

The surge had the inclusion of four straight wins for Praggnanandhaa, which saw him record his second win over Carlsen and a critical penultimate round win over D Gukesh. It also became the first four-game classical winning streak at Norway Chess since Carlsen had recorded it in 2021.

–IANS

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