Aug 24 – Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa of India’s amazing run in the FIDE World Cup 2023 ended in the final on Thursday, with the 18-year-old falling to World No.1 Magnus Carlsen in a two-game rapid tie-break series.
The Grandmaster from Chennai, the youngest-ever to reach the FIDE World Cup final, lost the first rapid game under tremendous time pressure after holding the five-time World Champion Magnus Carlsen to straight draws in the Classical rounds.
No. 1 in the world Carlsen won the first 25+10 Rapid tiebreak game with the black pieces thanks to a superb ending. The 32-year-old Norwegian used his vast expertise to win from an equal position, gradually driving the Indian to the edge of defeat with swift and precise movements, forcing Pragg to spend more time and therefore land under severe time constraints. Pragg quit in the face of an all-out assault and with only seconds left on the clock.
In a must-win situation with black pieces in the second game, Pragg needed to win to tie the score and force additional tiebreaks. However, Praggnanandhaa could only manage a draw and thus lost the two-game tie-break 1.5-0.5.
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Carlsen won the final 2.5-1.5 to win his first World Cup title. This was the only title he lacked in his collection. Carlsen eventually won it in Baku, playing a fine tactical game in which he conserved his energy by agreeing to quick draws in the two classical games and outwitting his youthful Indian opponent in rapid chess, a format in which the Norwegian is a four-time World Champion and thus believes he has a decent chance.
Praggnanandhaa finished second in the 2023 FIDE World Cup, his greatest achievement in an official FIDE event at the senior level.
The 18-year-old Indian prodigy had a strong tournament, earning a lot of rating points, and is anticipated to jump nine places to 20 when the FIDE Rating list is published on September 1.
Praggnanandhaa upset world No.2 Hikaru Nakamura and No.3 Fabiano Caruana, both Americans, on his way to the final. Praggnanandhaa earned a spot in the FIDE Candidates Tournament by earning the World Cup silver medal, and the winner will face reigning World Champion Ding Liren in the World Championship Match in 2024.
In their first tiebreak game, Fabiano Caruana of the United States won convincingly with black over Nijat Abasov, clinching third place. Caruana has so earned a spot in the FIDE Candidates competition next year.
