After a bumpy start to the year, R. Praggnanandhaa has hit a purple patch. He made heads turn with a historic triumph in Norway Chess and stormed to victory in St. Louis Rapid & Blitz last week.

As Praggnanandhaa lets his moves do the talking on the board, the work he has been putting in with coach Vaibhav Suri seems to be paying off. “We did pay a little more attention to the opponents (in St. Louis) and tried to be in control. In the shorter formats, [holding the] nerves play a big role. I think that he was in far better control than in previous events,” Suri said.

It is all about learning constantly and improving, Suri emphasised as his ward continues the good run in the ongoing Sinquefield Cup in the USA — the 21-year-old put it across World championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov and Jordan van Foreest. “Preparation plays a huge part in classical chess, and we are relying on the learnings from previous events.”

With the Olympiad on the horizon and the in-form Praggnanandhaa expected to lead the Open team’s challenge, Suri felt that India had a strong squad, adding “there are huge expectations because we are the defending champions.” “The focus is going to be on trying to put the four best players on that given day and hope that they play their best. I am sure that Pragg, D. Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin and Vidit Gujrathi will be preparing very seriously for the Olympiad.”

Anemone Kulczak seems like a constant at Norway Chess. The Frenchwoman, who made a smooth transition from playing to being an arbiter, is enjoying the role.

“I played many tournaments after having learnt the game from my father when I was very young and at some point I wanted to know the regulations,” Kulczak, who has been the chief arbiter at several editions of the Norway Chess, told The Hindu.

There’s been no looking back since she decided to take an arbiter’s course and obtained certifications and is at home officiating in top-flight events, including the Chess Olympiad.

The 31-year-old said the modern generation of players were disciplined and easier to handle. She was all praise for the Indians and said players like World champion D. Gukesh, R. Praggnanandhaa, Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh, who are taking part in this year’s event, were an arbiter’s delight as they consistently followed the rules.

Kulczak was full of admiration of the manner in which Indian chess had evolved over the years and felt that the new generation is talented and there would be more world champions.

“India is the future of chess… India will continue to have world champions. Gukesh is an exceptionally talented player and there are many others too like Pragg. It is good for world chess,” she added.

Kulczak, who was at the helm during the tournament in Stavanger in 2025 when Magnus Carlsen famously banged the table after losing to Gukesh, said arbiters had to be more careful these days as there is intense scrutiny and ensure that rules matter more than reputations.

There’s nothing special that R. Praggnanandhaa is doing to prepare for games against Magnus Carlsen but ‘whatever is being done is working,’ said his coach Vaibhav Suri.

With the Indian GM having done the double against the World No.1 in Norway Chess 2026, Suri said, “I don’t think so (on any special preparation). If we are, I will make sure we do continue it. (We) are trying to stay as motivated as we can and trying to keep working as hard as we can.”

Like Praggnanandhaa, he too said Carlsen is “still extremely strong.

Maybe he’s just not as motivated as he was a few years ago, but is still a monstrous player.”

Further, Suri, a Grandmaster himself, told The Hindu, that everyone has immense respect for Carlsen.

Key takeaway

“I think the key takeaway at least for us is he’s great, but maybe he’s not invincible… he’s beatable.”

Praising Praggnanandhaa, he said, “to beat him twice in a classical game is not at all a small feat.”

Asked if the 20-year-old from Chennai had put the below-par performance in the recent Candidates tournament behind him, Suri said, “his level of play was not bad (in Cyprus).”

Quick to move on

“The result obviously wasn’t encouraging. I think as with most things, you accept and you move on, which I think he did fairly quickly,” added Suri.

(The writer is in Oslo at the invitation of Norway Chess).

These are extraordinary times, it should be said. It is not often that Magnus Carlsen loses a classical chess game. But the unthinkable seems to be playing out at Norway Chess, as the World No. 1, considered one of the greatest ever, has suffered four defeats thus far.

R. Praggnanandhaa, who seems to have the wood over Carlsen, was delighted to have beaten the latter in the classical format here in the third and eighth rounds.

“I think beating him in any format is good. But more than that, I think winning at this stage of the tournament is more important,” said Praggnanandhaa, responding to a question on whether beating Carlsen a third time in the classical format felt like a normal thing or was still something to savour.

Asked if the World No. 1’s aura was waning, he said it was not so, and added, “It’s just one tournament that, like, for a few moments doesn’t go your way… I think he’s still the best.”

The Indian GM didn’t seem to agree that there was a change of guard. “I mean, we are already there. I think we are among the best players. I don’t think there is… I don’t think there is a change of guard or anything. All these things, I think, are exaggerated,” he added.

Praggnanandhaa said he has been involved in some well-contested matches against Carlsen and added that he enjoyed playing him. “I wouldn’t say I felt intimidated. We have had a lot of exciting, fighting games. It always brings out the best in me.”

(The writer is in Oslo at the invitation of Norway Chess)

Norwegian Grandmaster Aryan Tari is in awe of the phenomenal rise of Indian chess in recent years, saying that the support the game has been receiving has led to new talent springing up frequently.

Tari, a former World junior champion, backed D. Gukesh to turn things around. “The last couple of months were a bit tough for him. Maybe he felt too much pressure being the World champion,” the 26-year-old said in an interaction with The Hindu on the sidelines of Norway Chess. Tari tipped the Indian ace to regain his mojo and said: “Gukesh can recover from his bad form and be back to his ‘A’ game.”

He stressed that the World championship wasn’t only about chess and that there were other elements too. “It is a title match… nerves play a part. Maybe the experience Gukesh has of playing one can help,” Tari said, adding: “I would put his (Gukesh’s) chances at 50-50 against Javokhir Sindarov.”

Sindarov has been in good form recently, winning the Candidates tournament rather comfortably. But, Tari, Norway’s No. 3 player behind Magnus Carlsen and Johan-Sebastian Christiansen, said that recent results don’t matter much in a match like the title decider.

As for the women’s championship clash, he felt that defending champion Ju Wenjun may have a slight advantage over R. Vaishali but didn’t write off the Indian. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Vaishali wins. She will be well prepared and will pose a huge challenge for Ju,” Tari signed off.

The action may be taking place on the board but there’s a lot going on inside a chess player’s mind. After four days of competition at Norway Chess that had its share of thrills and spills, the players enjoyed a rest day, during which they got to take time off the 64 squares and be their own self.

Ten of the 12 participants were split into two teams and took part in a friendly sailing contest on the Oslofjord on Friday, the first of the two rest days.

It was also an occasion to celebrate the birthday of D. Gukesh, who turned 20 on Friday. The usually reticent World champion appeared to soak in the cheerful mood as he was actively involved in the competition around the fjord (a long, narrow channel or wide bodies of open water and lakes in Norway) with enthusiasm. He also tried his hand at navigating the speed boat.

Incidentally, after watching Gukesh handle the speed boat with aplomb, fellow Indian Grandmasters R. Praggnanandhaa and Divya Deshmukh hopped on to it to see how they would do.

Gukesh, who hasn’t had the best of time at Norway Chess — having won only once in the four rounds — seemed to be in a fairly relaxed frame of mind, accepting birthday wishes from the other players. The 20-year-old, bracing for tougher challenges ahead, had admitted that his performances had dipped since winning the World title but said that he was ready to defend the crown against Javokhir Sindarov.

(The writer is in Oslo at the invitation of Norway Chess).

Vincent Keymer isn’t the archetypal chess player — appearing overly thoughtful and scholarly. Or he isn’t one with Magnus Carlsen’s gait or casual fashion sense. He is making it his own way, so to speak. The 21-year-old German, hailing from a family of musicians, is striking the right notes in the sport and establishing himself as a name to reckon with in the sport’s hierarchy.

Keymer, who is in action at the ongoing Norway Chess tournament, which boasts a star-studded field, is looking to get better with experience and overcome the disappointment of missing out on the Candidates with impressive performances like the triumph in the Grand Chess Tour event in Bucharest a few days ago.

“Missing out on the Candidates was something that hurt. It wasn’t easy, especially since I was quite close. But, you know, having had so many good results, that was kind of consoling,” the top German player said in a media interaction.

“And I still think I’m quite young. I hopefully have a few more chances to qualify, and that’s what I’m working on now,” he said rather optimistically.

Keymer, who had worked as a second with Gukesh during his World Championship win over Ding Liren, said, “Getting new perspectives is always helpful for adding something new to your playing style”.

He is the World champion alright, but has copped a lot of criticism in the recent past over his performances after ascending the throne. Yet, D. Gukesh is calm personified as he handles the flak he faces over his patchy form.

Here in the Norwegian capital to play the Norway Chess tournament, the Indian, who will turn 20 on May 29, handled questions about the dip in his form over the past 18 months or so with quiet assurance.

Keep performing

“I have not been performing well in the last one-and-a-half years and I think I would say that my performances have been way below expectations. They (critics) have the right to say what they feel and I have the right to do my best,” Gukesh said ahead of the prestigious event.

He said he would be happy to play the World Championship match anywhere, but admitted that it would be special if it was to be held in India, even though the pressure of defending the title at home would be immense.

“Anywhere would be nice… In India there’s always a lot of pressure. The World Championships will attract a lot of attention. If it’s in India it will be supercool and I will be very happy,” he added.

Asked if he would like to see a repeat of the incident where Magnus Carlsen banged the table after a loss to him in the tournament last year, Gukesh said chess players generally don’t show a lot of emotions but when it did happen, a lot of people got attracted to chess.”

(The writer is in Oslo at the invitation of Norway Chess).