World No 1 Magnus Carlsen beats India’s Praggnanandhaa to win FIDE World Cup 2023

Chess World Cup 2023 Final: World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen won the FIDE World Cup final by beating his 18-year-old opponent R Praggnanandhaa on Thursday. The World No. 1 won Game 1 of the tiebreaker earlier in the day.

In the second game of the tiebreaker, the Norwegian pulled off a draw with white pieces to seal the title. The two players had played out one draw each on Tuesday and Wednesday. Carlsen will take home $1,10,000, while Pragg will take home $80,000.

The tie-breaker was divided into three stages, with the first two rapid games fetching each player 25 minutes, with a 10-second increment per move.

International Chess Federation (FIDE) tweeted: "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 medal, Praggnanandhaa also secured a ticket to the FIDE Candidates."

 

Praggnanandhaa was the first runner-up. On his way to the final, Pragg ended the campaigns of World No 2 Hikaru Nakamura and World No 3 Fabiano Caruana via the tie-breaks. Pragg, who celebrated his 18th birthday during the World Cup, became the youngest player to reach the chess World Cup final. 

Fabiano Caruana, whom Praggnanandhaa had stunned in the semi-final, has beaten Nijat Abasov and has taken third place.

World Cup 2023 - Top 4

Winner - Magnus Carlsen (Norway)

Runner Up - R. Praggnanadhaa (India)

Third position - Fabiano Caruana (USA)

Fourth Position - Nijat Abasov (Azerbaijan)

 

 

 

Following the match, Carlsen said he battled against a bout of food poisoning as he used all his experience to outclass the young Indian, who had developed a great reputation for being a giant killer.

After the match, legendary Viswanathan Anand praised Carlsen's persistence and game. 

Pragg, Caruana get entry to 2024 championship

As per the rules, the top three players in the World Cup qualify for the Candidates Tournament. As Magnus Carlsen decided not to defend his world championship title last year, Pragg, Caruana, and Azerbaijan’s Nijat Abasov will contest in the tournament to find a challenger for world champion Ding Liren at the next world chess championship battle.

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