How R Praggnanandhaa turned the tables on world champion D Gukesh | Other Sports News

On December 12, 2024, India’s chess grandmaster D Gukesh achieved what every chess player dreams of. At just 18 years old, he defeated Ding Liren to become the youngest undisputed World Chess Champion in history.

The victory appeared to mark the beginning of a new era. India had its first world champion since Viswanathan Anand, and Gukesh seemed destined to become the unquestioned face of Indian chess for years to come.

Yet less than 18 months later, the spotlight has gradually shifted.

Praggnanandhaa in spotlight

As the ongoing Norway Chess 2026 reaches its final round, it is R Praggnanandhaa and not the reigning world champion who stands on the verge of history. A victory would make him the first Indian ever to win Norway Chess, one of the strongest and most prestigious tournaments in the world.

The change did not happen overnight. It was the result of a steady sequence of performances, tournament victories, and high-profile wins that gradually transformed Praggnanandhaa from one of India’s brightest talents into arguably the most talked-about player in world chess.

But how exactly did Praggnanandhaa manage to overshadow the bright light of Gukesh’s world championship win? Let’s take a look.

Praggnanandhaa starts building momentum after Gukesh’s title win

Gukesh entered 2025 carrying the aura of a world champion. Expectations were enormous, and every tournament became a test of whether he could establish a period of dominance similar to that enjoyed by Magnus Carlsen.

Praggnanandhaa, meanwhile, began the year by making a statement of his own.

At Tata Steel Masters 2025, one of the strongest classical tournaments on the calendar, both Indians finished level at the top. However, when the title was decided in the playoff, Praggnanandhaa defeated Gukesh and lifted the trophy.

Praggnanandhaa bank on consistenty

While Gukesh struggled to convert his world title into sustained tournament success, Praggnanandhaa continued collecting elite results.

Over the course of 2025, Praggnanandhaa won the Tata Steel Masters and the Superbet Chess Classic Romania, reached the Grand Chess Tour Finals, and qualified for the Candidates Tournament through the Grand Swiss.

His classical record across 2025 and 2026 stood at:

• 
  139 games
• 
  39 wins
• 
  27 losses
• 
  73 draws
• 
  54.3 per cent score rate

By comparison, Gukesh’s corresponding record stood at:

• 
  96 games
• 
  22 wins
• 
  27 losses
• 
  47 draws
• 
  47.4 per cent score rate

The gap was not enormous, but it was consistent. Praggnanandhaa was winning more often, losing less frequently relative to games played, and repeatedly finding himself in contention for titles.

The world champion begins to struggle

The biggest shift came in 2026. Rather than turning things around after a year-long struggle, Gukesh endured one of the toughest stretches of his elite career.

Across the major classical tournaments listed in 2026, he played 40 games and was only able to win six games. He suffered 15 losses while drawing 19 games. His score percentage fell below 39 per cent.

He finished in the lower half of the standings at Tata Steel Masters 2026 and Prague Masters 2026 and struggled for consistency throughout the season.

Praggnanandhaa was hardly unstoppable himself, but he remained competitive in every major event. Most importantly, he continued producing victories against the strongest players in the world.

Praggnanandhaa starts to dominate

The virtual rivalry between Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa became increasingly important. For years, Indian chess fans had debated which teenager would eventually become the country’s leading player.

The results began to provide an answer. In key moments, Praggnanandhaa repeatedly came out on top. He defeated Gukesh in the Tata Steel Masters playoff in 2025, before securing a big win at Norway Chess 2026 during a crucial stage of the title race.

Across classical games during 2025 and 2026, Praggnanandhaa holds the edge over Gukesh:

Praggnanandhaa vs Gukesh: Head-to-head (since 2025)

• 
  Total matches: 5
• 
  Praggnanandhaa wins: 2
• 
  Gukesh wins: 1
• 
  Draws: 2

Including playoffs and tiebreaks, the advantage became even clearer.

Every time the two Indians met in a high-pressure situation, Praggnanandhaa increasingly looked like the stronger performer.

The Magnus Carlsen effect

The current generation of chess players is ultimately judged by how they perform against Magnus Carlsen. This is where Praggnanandhaa’s rise truly accelerated.

At Norway Chess 2026, he defeated Carlsen twice in classical chess—once with White and once with Black. Very few players in the world can claim such an achievement. Even fewer can do it in the same tournament.

Those victories generated headlines across the chess world and instantly elevated Praggnanandhaa’s status from elite grandmaster to genuine global star.

Praggnanandhaa shines at Norway Chess 2026

Norway Chess has historically been Magnus Carlsen’s domain. No Indian player had ever won the event.

Yet heading into the final round of the 2026 edition, Praggnanandhaa found himself just one victory away from making history.

The route to that position highlighted everything that had changed in Indian chess. He defeated the likes of Magnus Carlsen, D Gukesh, and Alireza Firouzja, all within the same tournament.

Meanwhile, Gukesh finished outside title contention despite arriving as the reigning world champion.

Why Praggnanandhaa can be considered the face of Indian chess

Gukesh still possesses the most important title in chess. No player can take away the fact that he became world champion at 18 years old. However, being the face of a sport is about more than a title.

It is about who is winning the biggest games, collecting the biggest trophies, and creating the biggest moments.

The irony of Indian chess today is striking. The reigning world champion is Gukesh.

But the player carrying the momentum, commanding the headlines, and shaping the sport’s present is Praggnanandhaa.

If he completes the job and wins Norway Chess 2026, it will be difficult to argue otherwise.

R Praggnanandhaa tournament-wise performance (2025-2026)

D Gukesh tournament-wise performance (2025-2026)