FIDE World Cup 2023: R Praggnanandhaa stuns Fabiano Caruana, advances to face Magnus Carlsen in final
FIDE World Cup 2023: Indian prodigy R Praggnanandhaa delivered a remarkable upset by defeating world No. 3 Fabiano Caruana in the semifinals of the FIDE World Cup chess tournament held in Baku, Azerbaijan. Now, Praggnanandhaa is poised to confront Magnus Carlsen in the final set to take place on Tuesday. With this triumph, he joins the ranks of Indian chess legend Viswanathan Anand as only the second Indian player to advance to the tournament's summit clash. Praggnanandhaa clinched victory with a 3.5-2.5 scoreline against Caruana in the tie-break during the semifinals.
Pragg goes through to the final! He beats Fabiano Caruana in the tiebreak and will face Magnus Carlsen now.
What a performance!@FIDE_chess #FIDEWorldCup2023
— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) August 21, 2023
"Pragg advances to the final! He conquers Fabiano Caruana in the tiebreak and is set to face Magnus Carlsen. What an impressive performance!" tweeted chess icon Viswanathan Anand.
Previously, Praggnanandhaa outlasted compatriot Arjun Erigaisi 5-4 in a sudden death tie-break, securing his spot in the semifinals. Additionally, he has already secured a place in the next year's Candidates event.
Praggnanandhaa's triumph over American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura in the tiebreakers remains one of the most significant upsets of the FIDE World Cup.
Here, how people reacted:
???? 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
18 years old Indian chess sensation Praggnanandhaa defeats 31 years old Fabiano Caruana (who's the third highest rated chess player ever) & qualifies to the finals.
This guy is already a legend! I wish he gets even 1% of the attention that cricketers get. pic.twitter.com/va15T49Nlw — Mr Sinha (@MrSinha_) August 21, 2023
Congratulations @rpragchess for winning against Fabiano and going to the finals at the World Cup in 2023! Proud and happy! — Ramesh RB (@Rameshchess) August 21, 2023
Praggnandhaa has just beaten chess world #2 Fabiano Caruana and will now face world #1 Magnus Carslen in the finals of FIDE World Cup! This is HUGE for Indian chess! After Vishy Anand, Pragg is going to be the first Indian to make it to the candidates! The future is ours!! ????????❤️???? — Samay Raina (@ReheSamay) August 21, 2023
- With inputs from agencies
