Aug 21, 2023 09:21 pm | Updated August 22, 2023 12:24 am IST – Baku (Azerbaijan)
Praggnanandhaa speaks to reporters after the win over Fabiano Caruana. Photo: Twitter/@FIDE_chess
R. Praggnanandhaa, continuing his dream run, took the world No. 1 place. 3 Fabiano Caruana got out of his comfort zone, pulled him into shorter time control games and nailed him to challenge favorite Magnus Carlsen in the FIDE World Cup final in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Praggnanandhaa, who turned 18 at the World Cup and knocked out second seed Hikaru Nakamura along the way, now becomes the third youngest person to qualify for the Candidates Tournament after Bobby Fischer and Magnus Carlsen. He is also the first Indian to reach the World Cup final since the knockout format was introduced in 2005.
It can be recalled that Viswanathan Anand’s titles came in 2000 and 2002 in a 24-player knockout format.
After Praggnanandhaa and Caruana played four draws in three days, the decisive difference came in the first 10-minute fast game. Praggnanandhaa, white, got another pawn on move 21 but Caruana was compensated. The turning point of the story follows when Praggnanandhaa wins the second pawn and quickly moves his king over to the queen’s side and further worries Caruana.
🔥 Praggnanandhaa in the final #FIDEWorldCup!
The Indian prodigy beat world number 3 Fabiano Caruana 3.5-2.5 after a tiebreak and will face Magnus Carlsen for the title.
📷 Maria Emelianova pic.twitter.com/FDOjflp6jL
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) August 21, 2023
In serious trouble
At this point, Caruana realized she was in serious trouble and needed some suboptimal power moves from her young opponent to regain her lost position. But Praggnanandhaa relentlessly pursued victory and made a move to check in when Caruana resigned on move 63.
Caruana returned to fight white but it was Praggnanandhaa who took the initiative to put pressure on his desperate opponent. Caruana wriggled out of trouble but never had any chance of winning. In the end, Praggnanandhaa lost nothing and the result was an 82-country draw that put him past Caruana.
In hindsight, Praggnanandhaa should consider himself extremely lucky to have saved the first 25-minute quick game with black in 71 moves, while Caruana regrets choosing to push a pawn on the second move. 54 caused his chances of victory to disappear in a flash. In this game, Caruana’s time management was better than Praggnanandhaa and that gave confidence for the next match.
In the second half, Praggnanandhaa also had to tread carefully and Caruana had to be alert to seize every opportunity. This was an improved performance by Praggnanandhaa but Caruana was never under pressure.
Earlier, in the women’s final, Aleksandra Goryachkina was lucky to deny the title of 20-year-old Bulgarian Nurgyul Salimova by winning the second fastest game lasting 25 minutes.
Salimova, who let the Russian second seed qualify on Sunday, once again won the first quick clash on Monday. In the second game, 2021 finalist Goryachkina got the upper hand before Salimova found her way through, resulting in a draw. Just as the competition seemed headed for a quick 10-minute match, Salimova made one last mistake and Goryachkina jumped at the chance to decide the title.
The result guarantees a top prize of $50,000 for Goryachkina and consolation for frustrated Salimova of $35,000.
About a billion Indians cheer for you: Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi congratulated Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa on reaching the final of the FIDE World Chess Championship and said that over a billion Indians are cheering for him.
Continuing his dream run, Praggnanandhaa defeated world No 3 Fabiano Caruana 3.5-2.5 with a tie-break in the semi-finals to set up a top-notch match with his hand. World number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway at the FIDE World Cup chess tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan.
After the classic two-game series ended 1-1, the 18-year-old Indian prodigy overcame the highly regarded American GM in a showdown of wits in an intense match.
In an article on X, Mr. Gandhi said: “Congratulations to R Praggnanandhaa for his outstanding journey to the FIDE World Chess Championship Finals. My best wishes for the title match against Magnus Carlsen.” “More than a billion Indians are cheering for you,” he said.
Congress Secretary-General Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also congratulated Praggnanandhaa on reaching the final of the FIDE World Chess Championship.
“Best wishes for the big game ahead,” she said.
(With input from PTI)
Leave a Reply