Chess World Cup Final 2023: First game between Praggnanandhaa and Magnus Carlsen ends in draw
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa held world number one Magnus Carlsen to a draw in the first classical game of the final of the FIDE World Cup chess tournament played on Tuesday. Now the match has moved towards the second game. If the match is not decided in the second game also, tie-breaker will be resorted to. The 18-year-old Grandmaster from India put in an impressive performance against a much more experienced and higher-ranked player than him, playing with the white pieces to force the opponent to a draw after 35 moves.
In the second game of the two classical matches on Wednesday, Carlsen will start with white pieces and will be in an advantageous position. Praggnanandhaa made it to the final by defeating world number three Fabiano Caruana 3.5-2.5 in the semi-finals. Praggnanandhaa is only the second Indian player after the legendary Viswanathan Anand to make it to the World Cup final. He has also qualified for the Candidates Tournament to be held in 2024.
