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R Praggnanandhaa Stuns Fabiano Caruana to Reach Chess World Cup Final
R Praggnanandhaa of India defeated Fabiano Caruana with a score of 3.5-2.5 in the tiebreak after playing two virtually flawless Rapid games with 10-minute time limits. On Monday, he reached the Chess World Cup final in Baku, Azerbaijan.
In what we can only characterize as a fantasy tournament, the 18-year-old chess player accomplished a spectacular achievement by defeating world No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura and world No. 3 Caruana.
He will have the enormous challenge of competing against Magnus Carlsen, the top player in the world, in the final, which begins on Tuesday.
Praggnanandhaa’s Reaction to Winning Against Caruana
“I didn’t really expect to play Magnus at all because the only way I could play him was in the final. I didn’t expect to play the final at all. Somehow things (turned out this way). I will try and give my best,” told Praggnanandhaa after the win.
Comparable to trying to win a tennis match against Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. That accomplishment was only performed by one guy, David Nalbandian, in Madrid in 2007. Praggnanandhaa wishes he could match David’s courage in the face of Goliath.
Although the absence of a rest day will have an impact on him, this run needs to be the peak that will prepare you for the challenge of competing against a player who has held the top spot in the chess world since November 2013. In the semifinals, Caruana put Praggnanandhaa under a lot of duress in the two classical games, but the Indian managed to hold on.
Indian teens fought back from behind in classical games
“This match goes to my defensive skills; otherwise I was almost losing in every single game,” said Praggnanandhaa. “Losing is maybe a hard word, but in the first two classical games I was defending throughout, I played some inaccuracies in the opening and then suffered.”
The match was then moved to a tiebreak. The shorter games (Rapid and Blitz) need counterplay and imbalance, although Caruana maintained control throughout the 25-minute portion.
“Third game I was lost at some point but with little time it is never easy. And the fourth game I was pushing a bit but it was nothing.”
Praggnanandhaa Takes Advantage of Equal Position
In the fifth game of the tie, Praggnanandhaa won with white. The position appeared to be pretty equal, but he took advantage of the situation, switched the rooks, and moved up a pawn, forcing Caruana into danger from which he could not recover.
“Things went wrong for him with c3, d4 coming in,” said the teenager from Chennai. “I felt that black should be totally fine but in the time scramble I managed to not mess up and converted quite nicely.”
Now that Praggnanandhaa simply needed a draw, Caruana had to win on demand, which would never be simple. The Indian GM even got a situation from which the chess algorithms predicted he would win easily.
Praggnanandhaa eyes Magnus Carlsen
“This game (the 6th)… I thought I should win comfortably,” told Praggnanandhaa. “I had time and a very good position but I started to hesitate and tried to be cautious, which is never a good idea in such situations. And then I allowed a lot of counterplay. I was never in danger but it could have been smooth.”
He will need to recover swiftly after the semi-final, and unlike the other games, he may only have a restful night’s sleep to rely on. However, one can see him pacing the room while wearing a broad smile.
“It feels great to qualify for the Candidates; I really wanted to fix this spot. I didn’t want to get this fourth position and wait for Magnus’ decision,” he told, after being the third-youngest player in history to qualify for the Candidates tournament.
Carlsen vs. Praggnanandhaa: A History of Close Matches
There have been 19 previous games between Carlsen and Praggnanandhaa, although most of them were played in the Rapid style. Before trying to seize the lead in the tiebreak, the Indian player must concentrate on winning the Classical games. Every young chess player has admired Carlsen, but Praggnanandhaa is certain to want to show that this is now a contest between equals.
My name is Krishanu Das the founder of the Sports Dribble.
I am Accountant by profession but a Sports Blogger by passion.
I am passionate about sharing my all knowledge and experiences of sports, with my readers and every sports enthusiast.
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