R Praggnanandhaa loses Chess World Cup final to Magnus Carlsen in tiebreak match

Digital Desk: Magnus Carlsen defeated Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa in a tiebreaker match to win the Chess World Cup title on Thursday. Due to draws in the two traditional games on Tuesday and Wednesday, a tie-break was required to decide the winner. In the first tie-break game, the world No. 1 defeated Praggnanandhaa 1.5-0.5, and in the second game, he drove a draw after 22 moves.

“Praggnanandhaa is the runner-up of the 2023 FIDE World Cup! Congratulations to the 18-year-old Indian prodigy on an impressive tournament! On his way to the final, Praggnanandhaa beat, among others, world #2 Hikaru Nakamura and #3 Fabiano Caruana! By winning the silver medal, Praggnanandhaa also secured a ticket to the FIDE Candidates," the "International Chess Federation tweeted.

The 18-year-old also made history by qualifying for the Candidates 2024 event as the third-youngest player, after only the legendary Bobby Fischer and Magnus Carlsen.

The 18-year-old wonderboy is still strongly on the path to chess success and has long been considered a potential successor to Viswanathan Anand, a five-time world champion. He defeated Carlsen in an online event last year and is the only Indian player, after Anand, to secure a position in the Candidates.

Praggnanandhaa has been in the spotlight ever since he first caused a stir as a small child. To put down a marker, he won the national under-7 championship, and he has progressed ever since. At the age of 10, he attained the title of International Master, and two years later, that of General Master. At 14 years and three months old in 2019, he attained an ELO rating of 2600 and appeared to be in overdrive. 

His development as a player has been greatly influenced by the support of his family, particularly that of his mother. He frequently sees his mother Nagalakshmi at the events where he competes, and he seems to benefit from her valuable company.