Chess World Cup : R Praggnanandhaa shocks world No 3 Fabiano Caruana, meets Magnus Carlsen in final
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa stunned world No.3 Fabiano Caruana 3.5-2.5 via the tie-break in the semifinals of the FIDE World Cup chess tournament here on Monday.
After the two-game classical series ended 1-1, the 18-year-old Indian prodigy outlasted the highly-rated American GM in a battle of wits in a nerve-wracking tie-breaker.
Praggnanandhaa will now take on Norway’s Magnus Carlsen in the final.
“Pragg goes through to the final! He beats Fabiano Caruana in the tiebreak and will face Magnus Carlsen now. What a performance!,” chess legend Viswanathan Anand posted on ‘X’, formerly Twitter.
Earlier, Praggnanandhaa beat compatriot Arjun Erigaisi 5-4 in a sudden death tie-break to book a place for himself in the semifinals on Thursday. The 17-year-old Praggnanandhaa already secured a spot in next year’s Candidates event.
The Chennai lad is going to be the only other Indian other than five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand to compete in the Candidates.
Praggnanandhaa had orchestrated one of the biggest upsets of the FIDE World Cup after he eliminated American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura in the tiebreakers. (ANI)
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Updated: 21 Aug 2023, 10:04 PM IST