World Cup chess: Praggnanandhaa shocks Caruana, to take on Carlsen in final
The 18-year-old Indian prodigy outlasted the highly rated American GM in a battle of wits in a nerve-wracking tie-breaker
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa stunned world No.3 Fabiano Caruana 3.5-2.5 via a tie-breaker in the semifinals of the FIDE World Cup chess tournament on Monday (August 21).
After the two-game classical series ended 1-1, the 18-year-old Indian prodigy outlasted the highly-rated American GM in a battle of wits in a nerve-wracking tie-breaker. Praggnanandhaa will now take on Norway's Magnus Carlsen in the final.
"Pragg goes through to the final! He beats Fabiano Caruana in the tiebreak and will face Magnus Carlsen now. What a performance!," chess legend Viswanathan Anand posted on 'X', formerly Twitter.
Reacting to the sensational win, Praggnanandhaa said, "I didn't expect to play Magnus in this tournament at all because the only way I could play him was in the final, and I didn't expect to be in the final… I will just try to give my best and see how it goes!"