The 18-year-old Indian prodigy defeated the highly regarded American GM in a tense tie-breaker after the two-game classical series finished in a draw.
Digital Desk: Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa stunned world No.3 Fabiano Caruana 3.5-2.5 via the tie-break in the semifinals to set up a summit clash with world number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway at the FIDE World Cup chess tournament here.
The 18-year-old Indian prodigy defeated the highly regarded American GM in a tense tie-breaker after the two-game classical series finished in a draw.
Praggnanandhaa will compete against five-time champion Carlsen, who defeated Azerbaijan's Nijat Abasov 1.5-0.5 in his semifinal, in the final, which starts on Tuesday.
After the famous Bobby Fischer and Carlsen, Praggnanandhaa qualifies for the Candidates tournament as the third-youngest player.
"I never expected to face Magnus in this tournament because the only way I could do so was in the championship game, and I didn't anticipate making it that far. I will just try to give my best and see how it goes!" he remarked after clinching a spot in the summit clash.
"It feels really good to qualify for the Candidates; I really wanted to fix this spot."
Take a look at the reactions to his victory:
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