Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa becomes 1st Indian after Viswanathan Anand to reach Chess World Cup semis since 2002. The Grandmaster defeated compatriot Arjun Erigaisi 5-4 to enter the semifinals of FIDE World Cup Chess tournament at Baku in Azerbaijan. He will now face American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana in the semi final.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa becomes 1st Indian after Viswanathan Anand to reach Chess World Cup semis since 2002. The Grandmaster defeated compatriot Arjun Erigaisi 5-4 to enter the semifinals of FIDE World Cup Chess tournament at Baku in Azerbaijan. He will now face American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana in the semi final.
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The 18-year-old Praggnanandhaa beat his compatriot in sudden death after the tie-breaker turned into a series of seemingly interminable draws after the two classical games had failed to throw up a winner earlier this week.
No Indian had reached the last four stage of the FIDE World Cup since Viswanathan Anand won the first two editions of the tournament in 2000 and 2002. India will be rooting for Praggnanandhaa win as this brings him closer to becoming the World Chess Champion. He is also one of the youngest chess wizard in the country who has brought glory to the country on several occasions.
The top three finishers at the FIDE World Cup will earn places in the 2024 Candidates Tournament, an eight-player chess tournament scheduled to be held from 2 April to 25 April 2024 in Toronto, Canada. Magnus Carlsen’s stated intention to skip the Candidates also adds to Praggnanandhaa’s chances, even if he does not win another match at the 2023 World Cup. The winner of the 2024 Candidates tournament will earn the right to play in the World Chess Championship 2024 against the current World Chess Champion Ding Liren.
In the other semifinal, top seed Magnus Carlsen faces Nijat Abasov.