Baku (TIP)- Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa’s dream run in the FIDE World Cup ended at the hands of world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, who beat him 1.5-0.5 in the tie-break here on Thursday after the classical games ended in a stalemate. The second 25+10 tie-break game ended in a draw in 22 moves as the Norwegian legend played it safe after he had won the first, displaying his end-game skills.
It was Carlsen’s first World Cup triumph, having won the World Championship five times.
Carlsen overcame a stiff challenge from his 18-year-old Indian opponent in the first tie-break game, winning it in 45 moves. He overcame the problems he encountered due to Praggnanandhaa’s enterprising play to turn the tables and seize the advantage.
The two classical games on Tuesday, Aug 22 and Wednesday, Aug 23, had ended in draws forcing the final to a tie-break. Praggnanandhaa enjoyed an incredible run in the tournament, having beaten world No.2 Hikaru Nakamura and world No.3 Fabiano Caruana to set up a final date against Carlsen.
The results in the ongoing tournament also helped Praggnanandhaa qualify for Candidates 2024 tournament, which will be held in Canada.
Praggnanandhaa, thus, became the third youngest player after the legendary Bobby Fischer and Carlsen to qualify for the Candidates tournament.
For someone, who took to chess just because his parents wanted him and his sister to wean away from watching television, R Praggnanandhaa has charted his own path to glory and is closer to greatness than ever.
The 18-year old wonderboy has long been seen as a possible successor to the five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand and is certainly on the path to be a chess great.A stunning performance in the FIDE World Cup in Baku has catapulted him to the Candidates tournament to determine the challenger to current world champion Ding Liren. By becoming the only Indian player after Anand to book a spot in the Candidates, the Chennai teenager has proved that he will be the name to reckon with when it comes to big-ticket chess events. A wonderkid, who took up the sport at the age of four-and-a-half, Praggnanandhaa has achieved several firsts in his distinguished career thus far.
After coming under the wings of Anand, who has taken to mentorship like a duck to water, the rise has been steady for Praggnanandhaa.
By beating Magnus Carlsen, the world No.1 and former classical champion in an online tournament last year, Praggnanandhaa showed that he could soak in the pressure and defeat the best in the business at their own game.
Hailing from Chennai, the hotspot of Indian chess, Praggnanandhaa has been in the spotlight since he made waves at a young age.
He won the national under-7 title to lay down the marker and has been on the rise ever since. At 10, he was an International Master and two years later, he became a GM. Source: PTI