FIDE World Cup: First Praggnanandhaa-Carlsen finals match ends in draw

The first match in the finals of the 2023 FIDE World Cup between GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and GM Magnus Carlsen ended in a draw after 35 moves.

The game started with Praggnanandhaa playing 1.C4 the English opening and Magnus replying with e5 the reverse Sicilian and opting to play the four Knights variation, which is a solid opening. Magnus deviated from the usually played lines as early as move 6 by opting to play Nf6 instead of the usual Nb6, with both players trying to outdo the other in the opening phase. Praggnanandhaa played an aggressive b4, followed by b5, making Magnus go into a deep 28-minute thought on move 13.

Despite an interesting battle between the two, the position was solid, with black equalizing with the exchange of Queens by move 18. After the exchange of a pair of rooks, the resulting symmetrical pawn structure and equal material of a rook and knight for both players brought the truce on move 35.

Tomorrow (August 23) will be yet another interesting day with Praggnanandhaa playing black, a colour with which he has been playing well in this tournament. There will be pressure on both players since it will decide the winner if the game ends decisively.

With millions of hearts rooting for the youngster’s success, if Praggnanandhaa wins, we will have a FIDE World Cup champion from India after a gap of 21 years.