German Vincent Keymer: After becoming the first Indian to lift the Norway Chess trophy R Praggnanandhaa revealed that his mother's advice just before the latter half of the tournament turned out to be surprisingly prophetic as he managed to pull off one of the biggest comebacks in the tournament history.
"She told ' it is a new month you will play well and I said 'ok it is one of those things that mom says and then I win four games straight, I think mom knows something," said Praggnanandhaa after winning the crown on Friday.
The 20-year-old Grandmaster, who defeated German Vincent Keymer in the final round, became the first Indian champion in the tournament's history.
It was hardly imaginable few days earlier as Praggnanandhaa failed to be consistent in the first half of the six-player tournament despite defeating world No.1 Magnus Carlsen in round 3, he was at the bottom with six points after six rounds.
However, a call from his mother Nagalakshmi before his seventh round match against Alireza Firouzja started a turn around and Praggnanandhaa then went on to win four classical games in a row, including a second victory over Carlsen, before clinching the title against Keymer.
"It all came my way and I also think I started to play more in control, which is always very good.
"I decided that I will play a little faster than I was doing. In every game, I had time advantage and was able to make decent quality moves," said Praggnanandhaa when asked what he thought was the key behind the resurgence.
He also admitted of losing track in the final stages against Keymer.
"A few moves before the end I knew I was going to win. But I also wanted to make sure, I just could not think of anything once I played knight e6; I was just moving with my hand. Because when you get a winning position it is nearly impossible to make a mistake but I was still very concerned. It was only after he resigned that I relaxed."
He also admitted of losing track in the final stages against Keymer.
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"Whenever you win any tournament, you are happy. And to win this tournament when Magnus is playing is really special. And then to win this way, it's more than special. I am just super happy," he stated.