Indian teenage sensation, Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, on Monday outclassed world No.3 Fabiano Caruana of the USA in the FIDE World Cup semifinals in Baku, Azerbaijan.
After a nerve-racking tie-break that ended in 3.5-2.5, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa emerged victorious, securing his place in the final and the Candidates 2024 tournament set to take place in Canada.
🔥 Praggnanandhaa goes to the final of the #FIDEWorldCup!
The Indian prodigy managed to beat world #3 Fabiano Caruana 3.5-2.5 after tiebreaks and will battle it out against Magnus Carlsen for the title.
📷 Maria Emelianova pic.twitter.com/FDOjflp6jL
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) August 21, 2023
Praggnanandhaa displayed exceptional skill in beating Caruana following a 1-1 tie in their two-game classical series. This hard-earned victory has set up a captivating final against world No.1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway.
With this, Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian in 21 years to reach the final of the Chess World Cup. The last to do this was Viswanathan Anand who bagged the World Cup title twice, in 2000 and 2002, though it was in a different format.
