Both the grandmasters will continue their play in the second game of the two-match classical series of the Federation Internationale des Echecs (FIDE) World Cup final on Wednesday. World No. 1 Magnus will have white pieces in the second game. 

Praggnanandhaa created history by reaching the final of the FIDE World Cup after defeating World No. 3 Fabiano Caruana in tiebreaks.

Earlier also, Praggnanandhaa has faced Carlsen. The Indian grandmaster had challenged the five-time world champion and defeated him thrice in the last 6 months.

According to a report by ANI, Praggnanandhaa’s coach RB Ramesh has expressed his immense pride in the Indian grandmaster’s exceptional performance in the global tournament.

Ramesh said that he is optimistic about Praggnanandhaa’s chances in the final, the report said.

Ramesh told ANI, “I am extremely proud that he has been doing phenomenally well in this World Cup and he qualified for the World Cup final. And what I hear is he is the youngest to do so. And also he is the only Indian to qualify for the final.”

Each tournament comprises of two traditional games for a time control of 90 minutes for the initial 40 moves, which is followed by 30 minutes after the 40 moves, and a supplementary 30-second increment starting from Move 1. If a tie occurs, a playoff occurs on the third day of the round. The tiebreak procedure involves two rapid games with a time control of 25 minutes plus a 10-second increment per move. If further resolution is required, two ‘slow blitz’ games with a time control of 10 minutes plus 10 seconds increment per move follow. 

Updated: 22 Aug 2023, 08:50 PM IST