HISTORIC! R Praggnanandhaa stuns World No.3 to reach Chess World Cup final, to face Magnus Carlsen
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In a hugely proud moment for India, Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa secured a stunning victory over World No. 3 Fabiano Caruana with a score of 3.5-2.5 in the tie-breaker round of the FIDE World Cup chess tournament held in Baku, Azerbaijan 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.
🔥 Praggnanandhaa goes to the final of the #FIDEWorldCup!
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) August 21, 2023
The Indian prodigy managed to beat world #3 Fabiano Caruana 3.5-2.5 after tiebreaks and will battle it out against Magnus Carlsen for the title.
📷 Maria Emelianova pic.twitter.com/FDOjflp6jL
With this sensational victory, Praggnanandhaa attains the distinction of being the third youngest player in history, following in the footsteps of the legendary Bobby Fischer and Magnus Carlsen, to qualify for the Candidates tournament.
"I didn't expect to play Magnus in this tournament at all because the only way I could play him was in the final, and I didn't expect to be in the final. I will just try to give my best and see how it goes!," he said after booking a spot in the summit clash.
"It feels really good to qualify for the Candidates; I really wanted to fix this spot."
By becoming only the second Indian after Anand to reach the semifinals of the World Cup, Praggnanandhaa booked a spot in the Candidates event in 2024 to determine the challenger to Ding Liren.