Abhitesh
Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa of India defeated Fabiano Caruana of the United States in tiebreaks to advance to the finals of the FIDE World Cup 2023, where he will face World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in a matchup not to be missed. In Baku, Azerbaijan, Praggnanandhaa defeated Caruana by prevailing in the semi-final with a score of 3.5-2.5. With his historic victory over Caruana, Praggnanandhaa has secured his position in the Candidates 2024.
Caruana was defeated by Praggnanandhaa after the two-game classical series in Baku ended 1-1. Following a captivating tie-breaker, Praggnanandhaa emerged victorious. Viswanathan Anand, a chess luminary, praised the 18-year-old Indian prodigy on Twitter and congratulated the Indian Grandmaster. “Pragg advances to the final! Now that he has defeated Fabiano Caruana in the tiebreak, he will face Magnus Carlsen. What a performance!” exclaimed the chess legend.
Pragg goes through to the final! He beats Fabiano Caruana in the tiebreak and will face Magnus Carlsen now.
What a performance!@FIDE_chess #FIDEWorldCup2023
— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) August 21, 2023
The 18-year-old Grandmaster drew the second game of the FIDE World Cup semi-final match on Sunday, forcing a decisive tie-break in the championship’s penultimate match. Sunday’s match between India’s Praggnanandhaa and the world’s No. 3 Caruana was decided in 47 moves. Previously, Praggnanandhaa had accomplished the same feat as the Indian chess legend Anand. Praggnanandhaa was the second Indian chess player to advance to the World Cup semifinals.
Third youngest player to qualify for Candidates
Next year, after the World Cup, Praggnanandhaa will anchor the Candidates event. The 2024 championship will determine the challenger to Ding Liren, the reigning World Chess Champion. Carlsen, who will face the Indian Grandmaster in the final of the FIDE World Cup 2023, won the first game against Nijat Abasov of Azerbaijan on Saturday. Carlsen became the first finalist of the FIDE World Cup 2023 in Baku by settling for a draw in 74 moves following his opening victory. Aleksandra Goryachkina defeated Nurgyul Salimova, a 20-year-old Bulgarian, in the women’s final by winning the second 25-minute rapid game.
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‘Didn’t expect to play Magnus’
Praggnanandhaa is the third youngest player to qualify for the Candidates tournament, after the legendary Bobby Fischer and the current World No. 1 Carlsen. “I never expected to face Magnus in this tournament because the only way I could play him was in the final, and I wasn’t in the final. I will do my best and see what happens!,” Praggnanandhaa was quoted by PTI as saying. “It feels great to qualify for the Candidates; I wanted to fill this spot badly,” he added.
