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R Praggnanandhaa fought hard in the final of the FIDE Chess World Cup but could not get past World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. The Indian prodigy earned a draw in the two deciding rounds of the finals and took the game to a tie-break.
The Chennai teenager's unbelievable run certainly made billions of Indian fans believe that he could beat the Norwegian legend in the final. However, the 32-year-old handled the pressure well to win the title.
Playing with whites in the first rapid tie, Praggnanandhaa dominated the round initially but Carlsen came out of the pressure with a brilliant counter-attack to win the first rapid game.
In the second game, Praggnanandhaa was no match for his senior opponent for the first time in the match. Carlsen accepted an offer for a draw in the second rapid game from Praggnanandhaa. Since Carlsen had already won the first rapid game, a draw was enough for him to clinch his first-ever World Cup title.
Though the young Indian could not end up on the winning side, he certainly did win millions of Indian hearts. The fans took to social media to share their best wishes for Praggnanandhaa.
Praggnanandhaa's impressive run in FIDE Chess World Cup
Indian prodigy Praggnanandhaa exceeded everyone's expectations by reaching the finals of the FIDE Chess World Cup. The teenager faced tough challenges right from the start of the World Cup. He stunned everyone by defeating World Number Two Hikaru Nakamura on August 10.
Praggnanandhaa came back from behind to defeat his good friend Arjun Erigaisi in the semifinal. Both Indian stars had to battle it out in the tiebreaker, which went Praggnanandhaa's way.
In the semifinals, he met World Number three Fabiano Caruana. The first two classical rounds ended in a 1-1 draw. In the tiebreaker, Praggnanandhaa edged past Caruana to secure a spot in the final, becoming the first Indian in 21 years to reach the final of the Chess World Cup. Despite losing in the final to Carlsen, Praggnanandhaa's impressive run will be remembered for years to come.
