Goa, Aug. 29 -- Until this summer, no Indian had won the elite Norway Chess title. There was no Indian name alongside the Grand Chess Tour finale either. R Praggnanandhaa, that shy and super-sharp boy from Chennai, a Viswanathan Anand mentee like many from the city, now has both crowns to call his own.

Late on Thursday, Praggnanandhaa, the world No. 12, claimed the Grand Chess Tour (GCT) title, beating Fabiano Caruana 15-13 in St Louis, US, and pocketing $200,000 (around Rs.1.7-1.9 crore, depending on the exchange rate). Praggnanandhaa thus became the first Indian to win the prestigious tour and only the seventh player in its 11-year history to lift the title.

The victory was all the more remarkable because Praggnanandhaa began the fina...