“A titan finally humbled” - God's gift to the game” - Fans react to R. Praggnanandhaa beating Magnus Carlsen

R. Praggnanandhaa has finally gotten the better of World Champion and chess legend Magnus Carlsen, and he's done it in style. The duo were playing on the latter's home ground at the Norway Chess tournament, and fans were left ecstatic after the young Indian's achievement.

Going into this six-people competition, Praggnanandhaa had a steep climb ahead of him to get to the top. One of his most anticipated clashes was the one against Carlsen, the 18-year-old's fans held on to hope that he could pull off the seemingly unlikely.

The Indian did exactly that, capitalizing on a risky opening move by the Norwegian to slowly work his way to the win.

Reacting to R. Praggnanandhaa’s historic win, one fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter),

“Pragg does what for long was a near holy grail in chess. A Titan of the game finally humbled.”

Yet another fan lavished praise on the youngster, writing,

“This kid is the future of chess. God's gift to the game.”

Here is how other fans reacted to R Praggnanandhaa becoming only the fourth Indian in history to get the better of Magnus Carlsen in a classical game.

“Time for Southern Lights, eh?” one fan wrote.

“The king has arrived,” another added.

“The swagger of a champion after defeating a champion,” one chess enthusiast commented.

“Pragg defeats Carlsen for the first time in classical chess! In Norway. Uffff🔥🔥🔥,” yet another X user chimed in.

R. Praggnanandhaa reacts to his win over Magnus Carlsen

For R. Praggnanandhaa, this win over Magnus Carlsen reiterates him as a threat to watch out for in the chess world. The victory is also a revenge for the loss the Indian was dealt by the Norwegian at the World Championships.

Reacting to his win, the 18-year-old told the Indian Express,

“His opening was provocative. I said he wants to fight, because otherwise he could play something solid. I didn’t mind at all. We’ll fight and we’ll see how it goes.”

Despite this win marking a major milestone in the prodigy’s career, he is hesitant to call it the best game of his life, pointing out several areas where he felt he could have done better.

“I didn’t think I played really well. I did find some best moves. It’s not my best game for sure.”

“The game was quite interesting. I got a very good position from the opening. I kind of misplayed it at some point. I allowed bishop e3, f6… then I was told that I still played correctly. Maybe I was better throughout the game,” he told journalists after the battle.

For now, this win over Magnus Carlsen places R. Praggnanandhaa atop the open standings of the Norway Chess competition.