FIDE Chess WC: 18-year-old prodigy R Praggnanandhaa on Thursday registered a nail-biting win over compatriot Arjun Erigaisi to confirm his spot in the semifinals of the FIDE Chess World Cup. The youth Grandmaster became the only Indian after Vishwanathan Anand to reach the final four of a Chess World Cup. He has almost booked his place in the Candidates event scheduled to be held next year.
Praggnanandhaa and Arjun played a humdinger quarterfinal that went into the sudden death tie-break. The 18-year-old achieved a narrow escape of a 5-4 win in the match. Praggnanandhaa won the second game of the two-game contest after suffering a loss in the first one. He forced the match to enter a tie-break, which was another thriller to watch. The 18-year-old won the first 5+3 blitz game in the tiebreak before Arjun levelled in the next one.
None of them looked to concede any ground as Praggnanandhaa took the third game before Arjun hit back in the fourth one as the match went into a three-minute sudden death, where Praggnanandhaa struck to take the game.
Praggnanandhaa reflected on the game, stating he was not looking at Candidates. "I don't think it was easy at all.... we were just fighting and not playing well with white. Maybe it's hard to find ideas with white. For me at least Arjun is strong with both colours, especially with black. I was just trying to calm down and play my best. Was not thinking of Candidates but was concentrating only on the games. To lose 30 seconds without doing anything was upsetting but I managed to recover," the 18-year-old said.
R Praggnanandhaa all but makes it to the Candidates
With this R Praggnanandhaa almost confirms his place in the Candidates event as the top three finishers in the ongoing tournament qualify for the Candidates event that will be held in 2024. World No.1 Magnus Carlsen is unlikely to take part in the Candidates. The winner of the Candidates will play against China's Ding Liren for the world crown.
