NEW DELHI, Aug 24: Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa captured the imagination of a billion-plus people as he stormed in the final of the 2023 FIDE Chess World Cup fighting valiantly till the end but his dream run ended at the hands of the world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, who beat him 1.5-0.5 in the tie-break in Baku on Thursday after the classical games ended in a stalemate.
Praggnanandhaa had drawn the first two classical games, but in the tie-breaker Carlsen was the more dominant player. However, Praggnanandhaa can keep his chin up as he beat higher-ranked opponents – world no. 2 Hikaru Nakamura and no. 3 Fabiano Caruana – to become the second Indian after the great Viswanathan Anand to enter the Chess World Cup final. By winning the silver medal, Praggnanandhaa also secured a ticket to the FIDE Candidates tournament 2024 to be held in Canada.
The second 25+10 tie-break game ended in a draw in 22 moves as the Norwegian legend played it safe after he had won the first, displaying his end-game skills. It was Carlsen’s first World Cup triumph, having won the World Championship five times.
Carlsen overcame a stiff challenge from his 18-year-old Indian opponent in the first tie-break game, winning it in 45 moves. He overcame the problems he encountered due to Praggnanandhaa’s enterprising play to turn the tables and seize the advantage. Praggnanandhaa, thus, became the third youngest player after the legendary Bobby Fischer and Carlsen to qualify for the Candidates tournament.
Fabiano Caruana clinched third place in the 2023 FIDE World Cup and secured a ticket to the FIDE Candidates tournament next year, after prevailing against Nijat Abasov in the tiebreaks.
The 18-year old Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa wrote a golden chapter in Indian chess history by becoming only the second player from the country after Viswanathan Anand — and the youngest — to play in the FIDE World Cup final.
Praggnanandhaa got a bye in first round, Defeated French Grandmaster Maxime Lagarde 1.5-0.5 in second round.
Beat experienced Czech GM David Navara 1.5-0.5 in third round.
Beat world No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura of USA 3-1 in fourth round.
Beat Hungarian Ferenc Berkes 1.5-0.5 in fifth round.
Registered a come-from-behind 5-4 win over compatriot Arjun Erigaisi in the sixth round.
Beat Italian-American Grandmaster, Fabiano Caruana, ranked third in the world, 3.5-2.5 in the semi-final to become the youngest to reach the summit clash of the World Cup.
Game 1 of Final on Tuesday ended in a draw after 35 moves.
Game 2 between Praggnanandhaa and Carlsen also ended in a quick draw in just 30 moves. Praggnanandhaa and Carlsen returned on Thursday to play in the shorter time control games, with the Indian losing in the tie-break.
(Manas Dasgupta)