Chess World Cup: Praggnanandha goes down fighting against Carlsen, wins silver medal

Magnus Carlsen defeats R Praggnanandhaa to claim the Chess World Cup 2023 title. Carlsen seized his opportunity in the first tiebreak with black pieces and the second tiebreak ended in a draw. The final scoreline was 1.5-0.5 in the Norwegian's favour. Both the players have now qualified for the prestigious Candidates tournament. The 18-year-old has been a revelation and defeated a number of players including Fabiano Caruana in the semifinal.

3 things you need to know:

• This is Magnus Carlsen's maiden Chess World Cup
• The final scoreline of the Carlsen vs Praggnanandhaa clash was 1.5-0.5
• Praggnanandhaa is the second player from India after Viswanathan Anand to play the Chess World Cup 2023 final

Magnus Carlsen wins maiden Chess World Cup

(Magnus Carlsen during the Chess World Cup / Image: Twitter/@FIDE_chess)

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa's dream run in the FIDE World Cup ended at the hands of world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, who beat him 1.5-0.5 in the tie-break here on Thursday after the classical games ended in a stalemate. 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.

ALSO READ | Praggnanandhaa vs Magnus Carlsen, Chess World Cup Final LIVE score: Carlsen is the Champ

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.

R Praggnanandhaa and Magnus Carlsen go through the hard grind

(Magnus Carlsen vs R. Praggnanandhaa during Chess World Cup Final / Image: Twitter/@FIDE_chess)

The two classical games on Tuesday and Wednesday had ended in draws forcing the final to a tie-break. Praggnanandhaa enjoyed an incredible run in the tournament, having beaten world No.2 Hikaru Nakamura and world No.3 Fabiano Caruana to set up a final date against Carlsen.

ALSO READ | India Shows It's Admiration For Chess Prodigy R Praggnanandhaa

The results in the ongoing tournament also helped Praggnanandhaa qualify for Candidates 2024 tournament, which will be held in Canada. Praggnanandhaa, thus, became the third youngest player after the legendary Bobby Fischer and Carlsen to qualify for the Candidates tournament.

(With inputs from PTI)