R Praggnanandhaa holds world no.1 Magnus Carlsen to a draw in first game of Chess WC final

R Praggnanandhaa has played out a draw against world number one Magnus Carlsen in the first game of the much anticipated Chess World Cup final in Baku, Azerbaijan. The 18-year-old Indian started the final white pieces while his opponent played with black pieces. Both the players agreed to call it a draw after 35 moves.

The match will continue on Wednesday and Carlsen will play with white pieces in the second classical game. All the eyes will be on Praggnanandhaa who could be the second player from India after Viswanathan Anand to win the coveted Chess World Cup.

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The first game of the #FIDEWorldCup final between Praggnanandhaa and Magnus Carlsen ends in a draw after 35 moves.
Magnus will be White in tomorrow's second classical game.

📷 Stev Bonhage pic.twitter.com/UXpcbQxIfN

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) August 22, 2023

Fide World Cup final: Praggnanandhaa vs Magnus Carlsen

Earlier, Praggnanandhaa defeated World No. 3 Fabiano Caruana to set up a final meeting with Carlsen. The score was 3.5-2.5 in the teenager's favour and he also got the better of American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura in the proceedings.

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By qualifying for the final the player also is eligible to take part in the next year's prestigious Candidates event. Praggnanandhaa's mother also accompanied him to Baku and the youngster seems to be quite effective in her presence.

The likes of Gary Kasparov and Viswanathan Anand spoke highly of the young chess GM who is now on the cusp of history. In the women's segment, Aleksandra Goryachkina got the better of Nurgyul Salimova to lift the Chess World Cup title.

Only Carlsen now stands in his way as the Chennai lad could script history in the Chess World Cup final.