Wednesday’s FIDE Chess World Cup match between Indian grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa and World No. 1 Magnus Carlson in the second round resulted in a draw. Carlsen used white pieces on Wednesday.
On move 30, both players agreed to a draw, sending the match to tiebreaks on Thursday. To participate in the games with shorter time controls, they will come back on Thursday.
The 18-year-old Indian GM beat a more favoured and higher-rated opponent to go to the final.
The young Indian player, who has already qualified for the 2024 candidate tournament, became just the second representative of his nation to make it to the World Cup finals, following the famous Viswanathan Anand. After Carlsen and Bobby Fischer, he became the third-youngest player to participate in the major event. The youngster from Chennai is also the youngest player to get to the Chess World Cup finals.
A confident R. Praggnanandhaa matched favourite Magnus Carlsen for a straightforward 35-move draw on Tuesday in their opening-round matchup in the final, living up to the mounting expectations of the chess community. The path Praggnanandhaa had to reach the final was nothing short of amazing. With a FIDE rating of 2707, the Indian Grandmaster is now placed 29th worldwide. By stunning the No. 3 player in the world, Fabiano Caruana, Praggnanandhaa entered the final by 3.5-2.5.
The young prodigy’s performance in the competition has been outstanding, showcasing both his tactical skill and grit. It was notable that he beat Caruana because it was his opponent’s first defeat in 17 World Cup games from 2023. Despite being under intense pressure, Praggnanandhaa was able to keep his cool and gain a victory, displaying his defensive prowess and strategic knowledge.