New Delhi: Indian teen chess sensation R. Praggnanandhaa lost the 2023 Chess World Cup final to Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen Thursday but not without putting up a brave fight in the two-game tie-breaker that ultimately decided his fate.
The 18-year-old was only the second Indian after the legendary Viswanathan Anand to reach the World Cup final.
Draws in the two classical games earlier this week brought on the time-bound tie-breaker games on Thursday.
The first classical game on Tuesday ended in a stalemate after over four hours of play and 70-plus moves, following which Carlsen said he was not feeling well.
In the second classical game Wednesday, the two settled for a quiet draw after 30 moves in one and a half hours of play.
The 18-year-old Praggnanandhaa had an incredible run in the tournament, beating world No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura and world No. 3 Fabiano Caruana to set up the final date against the Norwegian grandmaster.
The results in the ongoing tournament also helped Praggnanandhaa qualify for Candidates 2024 tournament, which will be held in Canada.
Praggnanandhaa is the third youngest player after the legendary Bobby Fischer and Carlsen to qualify for the Candidates tournament.
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