August 25, 2023
ISLAMABAD – Indian teenager Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, who reached the Chess World Cup 2023 final beating some of the top-tier players, fell at the last hurdle to former world champion Magnus Carlsen in Baku on Thursday.
“Praggnanandhaa is the runner-up of the 2023 FIDE World Cup! Congratulations to the 18-year-old Indian prodigy on an impressive tournament!” the International Chess Federation posted on X after the match.
On his way to the final, Praggnanandhaa beat, among others, world number two Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana, who now occupies the third spot in global rankings, the post said.
Praggnanandhaa will be taking home his share from the total prize money of $1,834,000, a silver medal for being the first runner-up and a ticket to the 2024 FIDE Candidates tournament.
Praggnanandhaa is the runner-up of the 2023 FIDE World Cup! 🥈
Congratulations to the 18-year-old Indian prodigy on an impressive tournament! 👏
On his way to the final, Praggnanandhaa beat, among others, world #2 Hikaru Nakamura and #3 Fabiano Caruana! By winning the silver… pic.twitter.com/zJh9wQv5pS— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) August 24, 2023
According to the update of the final match on the International Chess Federation’s website, Norway’s Carlsen has claimed the World Cup title for the first time after beating Praggnanandhaa in two tie-break games.
“After a quiet draw in the second game of the finals, Carlsen – who is recovering from food poisoning – defeated the 18-year-old Indian prodigy R Praggnanandhaa in the tiebreaks. It took just two tiebreak games and about one and a half hours,” the post on the federation’s website read.
Indian media reports say Praggnanandhaa is the second Indian to reach the Chess World Cup final after Viswanathan Anand.
Lauding him, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X: “We are proud of Praggnanandhaa for his remarkable performance at the FIDE World Cup! He showcased his exceptional skills and gave a tough fight to the formidable Magnus Carlsen in the finals.
“This is no small feat. Wishing him the very best for his upcoming tournaments.”
We are proud of Praggnanandhaa for his remarkable performance at the FIDE World Cup! He showcased his exceptional skills and gave a tough fight to the formidable Magnus Carlsen in the finals. This is no small feat. Wishing him the very best for his upcoming tournaments. pic.twitter.com/KXYcFRGYTO
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 24, 2023