The Era Of Youngsters: R Praggnanandhaa Shows Grit Even In Defeat Against Carlsen
The 18-year-old from Chennai, who was seeded 31, is also the lowest seed to ever make it to the final of the competition
With a nerve-wrecking game that went to tie breaker, chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa lost the final at the FIDE World Cup in Baku to No 1 Magnus Carlsen, with a score of 1.5-0.5. The youngster, hailed as one of the most promising talents in the chess world, entered the match as the youngest finalist ever, turning 18 during the competition itself. This is the first time an Indian has secured a medal at the FIDE World Cup since Viswanathan Anand won the first two editions of the tournament in 2000 and 2002.
R Praggnanandhaa and Magnus Carlsen during the second tie-breaker match of the Chess World Cup 2023 final. Picture: PTI
On his way to the final, Praggnanandhaa beat, among others, World No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura and World No. 3 Fabiano Caruana and with his silver medal, secured his spot in the eight-man FIDE Candidates Tournament.
R Praggnanandhaa with mother Nagalakshmi, President of the All India Chess Federation (AICF) Sanjay Kapoor and others. Picture: PTI
Pragg, who had started playing the game at the age of three, became the youngest International Master in 2016, quickly on his way to becoming a Grandmaster at the young age of 12 in 2018.
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
Since the pandemic, India has seen a flurry of young chess champions emerge on the scene; D Gukesh (who became a Grandmaster in 2019), Arjun Erigaisi, and Nihal Sarin. Vidith Gujrathi, along with Gukesh, Erigiasi and Pragg was the quarter that had advanced to the quarterfinal of the tournament, with Pragg reaching the finals.
Praggnanandhaa is the runner-up of the 2023 FIDE World Cup. Image: PTI
