Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa achieved a splendid victory against Fabiano Caruana. During the decisive phase of the FIDE World Cup chess championship tie-breakers, he achieved the result of 3.5-2.5, outperforming Caruana.
Following the drawn classical series of two games that ended 1-1, the 18-year-old Indian talent displayed his prowess by defeating the highly acclaimed American GM in a intense tie-breaker.
He now holds the reputation of being the third youngest contender to earn a spot in the Candidates Tournament, following the paths of Bobby Fischer and Magnus Carlsen.
The match between India’s Praggnanandhaa and world number 3 Caruana on Sunday ended in a tie after 47 moves. The preparation for a blockbuster clash with world number 1 Magnus Carlsen was underway.
Before this, Praggnanandhaa had matched the achievement that the Indian chess icon Viswanathan Anand had obtained for the first time. Praggnanandhaa became the second Indian chess player to enter the semi-finals of the World Cup.
After an exciting tie-breaker, Praggnanandhaa emerged victorious. Indian Grandmaster received praise from the chess legend Viswanathan Anand, who had nothing but admiration for the 18-year-old Indian prodigy.
In the final, starting Tuesday, Praggnanandhaa will face five-time champion Carlsen, who beat Azerbaijanβs Nijat Abasov 1.5-0.5 in his semi-final.
βI didnβt expect to play Magnus in this tournament at all because the only way I could play him was in the final, and I didnβt expect to be in the final. I will just try to give my best and see how it goes!,β he said after defeating Caruana.
βIt feels really good to qualify for the Candidates; I really wanted to fix this spot.β
