R Praggnanandhaa shocks Fabiano Caruana, set to face Magnus Carlsen in Chess World Cup final

Mangalore Today News Network / NDTV

New Delhi, Aug 22, 2023: Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa registered a stunning victory over world number 3 Fabiano Caruana in the semi-finals of the ongoing FIDE World Cup chess tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan on Monday.

 

He is now set to face Magnus Carlsen in the final of the tournament that will take place on Tuesday. With the win on Monday, Praggnanandhaa became only the second Indian player following legendary player Viswanathan Anand to enter the summit clash of the tournament. The Indian teenager shocked Caruana 3.5-2.5 via the tie-break in the semifinals.

"Pragg goes through to the final! He beats Fabiano Caruana in the tiebreak and will face Magnus Carlsen now. What a performance!," chess legend Viswanathan Anand wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Earlier, Praggnanandhaa beat compatriot Arjun Erigaisi 5-4 in a sudden death tie-break to book a place for himself in the semifinals on Thursday. Praggnanandhaa already secured a spot in next year’s Candidates event.

Praggnanandhaa had orchestrated one of the biggest upsets of the FIDE World Cup after he eliminated American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura in the tiebreakers.