Looking Back at Praggnanandhaa’s Exceptional Journey at the 2023 Chess World Cup

Praggnanandhaa became the youngest runner-up of the FIDE Chess World Cup by defeating many heavyweights.

Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa became the youngest Indian ever to reach the finals of the 2023 FIDE Chess World Cup. Though he lost the final to world number 1 Magnus Carlsen, he garnered nation-wide adoration and admiration for his remarkable achievement.

On his way to the finals, Praggnanandhaa defeated the current world number 3, Hikaru Nakamura in Round 4, before beating world number 2 Fabiano Caruana in the semi-finals. Have a look at the Indian grandmaster's entire road to the final:

Round 2

After getting a bye in the first round, Praggnanandhaa registered a clinical victory against Maxime Lagarde in Round 2. He won the first game with black pieces, before drawing the second game with white. Pragg’s 1.5-0.5 win helped him in qualifying for the next round.

Round 3

The Indian prodigy was given white pieces to start the game and made some beautiful moves to defeat Czech Grandmaster David Navara in the first classical game. The second game resulted in a draw, but once again, Praggnanandhaa won the match 1.5-0.5.

Round 4

Praggnanandhaa was paired against Hikaru Nakamura in the fourth round. Both the classical games resulted in a draw, with the match then proceeding to tie-breaks. However, the Indian star bounced back fiercely and took away both 25+10 rapid games. With this, he defeated the world number 3 by 3-1. 

Round 5

The fifth round went pretty smoothly for Pragg as he won the match with a victory in the second classical game. The first game was drawn, before the teenager marked his victory by defeating Hungary's Ferenc Berkes 1.5-0.5, with white pieces to reach the quarterfinals of the World Cup.

Quarter-Final

Round 6 was fiercely competitive, as Praggnanandhaa was up against his friend and Indian compatriot, Arjun Erigaisi. It was the longest clash for Praggnanandhaa as it stretched till the 3+2 blitz game. Both Arjun and Pragg put on a show with their tactics, but the latter emerged victorious after beating his opponent in the 3+2 blitz game with white pieces.

The classical games resulted in a tie, with both winning one game each. The contest then moved to 25+10 rapid games, which also resulted in a draw. The 10+10 rapid games were no different as Pragg managed to win with the black pieces, but Arjun swiftly bounced back by recording a victory in the second game. This made both players enter the 5+3 blitz games, which again resulted in a tie as both of them won with the blacks. The match finally ended with Praggnanandhaa beating Arjun in the first 3+2 blitz game by 5-4 to enter the semi-finals.

Semi-Final

The Indian GM faced Fabiano Caruana in the semi-finals of the FIDE Chess World Cup. Here, Praggnanadhaa emerged victorious after the match went to 10+10 rapid games.

Both classical games and 25+10 rapid games were drawn, leveling the score at 2-2. The Indian star then took away the first 10+10 rapid game with white pieces, giving him a 1-point lead. The second game resulted in a draw, but Praggnanadhaa’s 1-point lead helped him beat the current world number 2 by 3.5-2.5. This paved the way for him to reach the finals and he became only the second Indian to reach the final of the Chess World Cup, after Viswanathan Anand.

Final

Praggnanandhaa was paired against the present world number 1 Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen. The first two classical games resulted in a draw, causing both the players to compete in a tiebreaker. Magnus emerged victorious in the first tiebreaker with black pieces and Pragg failed to make a comeback as the second game too resulted in a draw, making the Indian star stand with 1.5 points while Magnus had 2.5 in the bank.