India's 18-yr-old Praggnanandhaa beats number 2 and 3 players to set up Chess World Cup final with Magnus Carlsen

• Image Credit: Google

• Aug 22, 2023 | Guriya Khatun

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: