-PTI
For someone, who took to chess just because his parents wanted him and his sister to wean away from watching television, R Praggnanandhaa has charted his own path to glory and is closer to greatness than ever.
The 18-year old wonderboy has long been seen as a possible successor to the five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand and is certainly on the path to be a chess great.
A stunning performance in the FIDE World Cup in Baku has catapulted him to the Candidates tournament to determine the challenger to current world champion Ding Liren.
Indian prodigy R Praggnanandhaa could not pull off a repeat of his giant-killing acts of the last few days as fancied Magnus Carlsen beat him 1.5-0.5 in the tie-break to win the FIDE World Cup here on Thursday.
Praggnanandhaa’s dream run in the tournament ended at the hands of the world No. 1 after the classical games ended in a stalemate and required a tie-breaker to identify the winner.
For the five-time World Championship winner and Norwegian superstar Carlsen, who has been at the top of the sport for over a decade now, this was his first-ever World Cup title.
“This is no small feat”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said as he led the nation in hailing young Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa’s runner-up finish at the FIDE Chess World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan on Thursday.
Praggnanandhaa’s sensational run at the prestigious tournament came to an end after he lost to world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in the tie-break after the classical games in the final ended in a stalemate.
“We are proud of Praggnanandhaa for his remarkable performance at the FIDE World Cup! He showcased his exceptional skills and gave a tough fight to the formidable Magnus Carlsen in the finals,” PM Modi wrote on ‘X’, formerly Twitter.
Featured Image: ChessBase India