WATCH | The moment India's Praggnanandhaa stunned world no.3 to reach Chess WC final

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa stunned world No.3 Fabiano Caruana 3.5-2.5 via the tie-break in the semifinals of the FIDE World Cup chess tournament here 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.

3 things you need to know

• Praggnanandhaa became the second Indian to qualify for the Chess World Cup final
• He is also qualified for the Candidates event to be held in 2024
• He will face Magnus Carlsen in the final

Praggnanandhaa roars into the final, defeats Fabiano Caruana in semifinal

Praggnanandhaa will now take on Norway's Magnus Carlsen in the final on Tuesday. The teenager is the youngest player ever to be participating in a World Cup final. Viswanathan Anand is the only player with two Chess World Cup titles and the boy from Chennai could be on the cusp of a world record.

Also Read: R Praggnanandhaa makes epic comeback to reach Chess WC final, to face Magnus Carlsen

Praggnanandhaa also managed to beat the second seed Hikaru Nakamura in the proceedings and fought all the way to the summit clash. 

Relive the winning moment of Praggnanandhaa here

The final moments as 18-year-old Indian prodigy Praggnanandhaa reached a #FIDEWorldCup final against Magnus Carlsen! pic.twitter.com/ACsAWDWvVU

— chess24.com (@chess24com) August 21, 2023

On the other hand, Carlsen wasn't really bothered by his opponent Nijat Abasov as he clinched a place in the final with a draw on Sunday. The marathon battle between Praggnanandhaa and Caruana didn't reach a consensus and had to be settled with a tiebreaker on Monday. The top three finishers in the tournament qualify for the Candidates event in 2024 to determine the challenger to Ding Liren.

Praggnanandhaa insisted he didn't expect to face the world number one in the final. "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!

"It feels really good to qualify for the Candidates; I really wanted to fix this spot."

(With PTI inputs)