3 min readJun 7, 2026 05:23 PM IST
Arjuna awardee Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay said that recent Norway Chess winner Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa was a more dangerous player than World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. Thipsay also said that Praggnanandhaa was currently the strongest Indian chess player at present, ahead of world champion D Gukesh as well as Arjun Erigaisi.
“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,” Thipsay told PTI in an interview.
“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,” Thipsay added.
On Friday, the 20-year-old won the Norway Chess tournament by winning all the four games he played in June, defeating the youngest player ever to reach a 2800 rating Alireza Firouzja, world no 1 and five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen, world champion D Gukesh and Vincent Keymer, who came to Oslo a day after winning the Super Chess Classic in Bucharest.
With a remarkable final burst towards the finish line at the end of the 10-round tournament, Praggnanandhaa became the only Indian player ever to win the super-elite tournament in 14 editions. This is the 20-year-old prodigy’s first title of the year. In contrast, world champion D Gukesh finished sixth in the six-player standings. In the women’s section, Divya Deshmukh (5th spot) and Koneru Humpy (6th) were the bottom two in the standings.
Praggnanandhaa had some significant wins in the first half of 2025, including a title at the Tata Steel classical chess tournament. But he ranked the Norway Chess title as his best.
“For me, it’s more special that I won a tournament, especially when Magnus is playing in it,” Praggnanandhaa told Indian journalists in Oslo. “I think this edition of Norway Chess is stronger (than Wijk Aan Zee) in terms of average rating. Because you have like some 2600-rated players in Wijk Aan Zee. Here it’s just the top players. Winning this is more special. Also adding to it, Magnus was there, then winning four games in a row. Certainly this will come at the top in my career.”
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