Auhona Roy Chowdhury, Pune
Magnus Carlsen secured his first World Cup victory in the final of the Chess World Cup 2023, triumphing over India’s emerging talent, 18-year-old R Praggnanandhaa. This tie-breaker showdown was held in Baku on August 24th. Praggnanandhaa’s silver medal finish in this event earned him a spot in the Candidates Tournament, making him the second Indian to achieve this feat.
Although Praggnanandhaa fell short in the final match, his performance at the Chess World Cup etched his name into the annals of Indian chess history. He became the first Indian since Viswanathan Anand to reach the championship round, coming tantalisingly close to joining the ranks of the Indian chess legend.
The initial two classical time control games on Aug. 22 and 23 ended in draws between Carlsen and Praggnanandhaa. While Praggnanandhaa missed an opportunity to conclude the first round, Carlsen played for a draw in the second game. India Today reported that Carlsen revealed he wanted an extra day’s rest after the bout of food poisoning and he deliberately took the final to the tie-breakers.
“Just happy to be in the final and also happy with the way that I played. We’ve been pretty much playing for the whole month, so we were exhausted. I wanted to be in the best shape today, which I was. But sometimes it doesn’t go your way”, Praggnanadhaa said to India Today.
The championship showcased a clash of wits and persistence, where Carlsen’s seasoned expertise ultimately took over Praggnanandhaa’s historic aspirations. Praggnanandhaa’s bid to become the first player to claim the World Cup title after defeating the top three FIDE-ranked players was thwarted. His journey to the final had seen him navigate through tie-breakers in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, where he overcame world No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura and World No. 3, Fabiano Caruana.