Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa is receiving widespread praise for winning the 2026 Norway Chess. The coach and Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay, who has also won the Arjuna Award, says Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa is the best Indian chess player right now.
Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay said something interesting after Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa won the title in Norway.
He thinks the Indian Grandmaster, who is 20 years old, is a tougher opponent than World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen.
Pravin Thipsay told PTI, “Praggnanandhaa is the best Indian chess player right now. On current form, he can be considered one of the most dangerous opponents in the world, even more dangerous than Carlsen.”
Pravin Thipsay Highlights R Praggnanandhaa’s Evolution
The coach was really happy with Praggnanandhaa’s improvement from last year, 2025. He said Praggnanandhaa from Chennai has become a better player over the last few years.
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Pravin Thipsay said that people used to think Praggnanandhaa was an aggressive player who liked to attack, and other players figured out how to stop him from doing that.
Now, Pravin Thipsay believes that Praggnanandhaa has evolved into a more complete
Pravin Thipsay explained, “What a great comeback. After a somewhat disappointing 2025, he has produced something truly extraordinary. Indian chess needed a performance like this. Three or four years ago, he was feared for his attacking chess. But opponents gradually learned how to neutralise those strengths. Over the last few months, he has added new dimensions to his game, including improved defence, positional understanding and tactical accuracy.’
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Norway Chess Triumph Marks Career Milestone
R Praggnanandhaa won a tournament in Norway, and this is a really big deal for him. He beat a lot of the best players like Carlsen, D Gukesh, Alireza Firouzja and Vincent Keymer during the tournaments to get the trophy.
He played well throughout, and that’s how R Praggnanandhaa managed to win the whole thing.
R Praggnanandhaa is the only Indian player to win Norway Chess, and not only for him but as a country, it is a big deal for us as well.
Also Read: Hikaru Nakamura Slams D Gukesh’s Norway Chess Performance As A ‘Complete Disaster’
