Highlights
- The teenager finished second in the final standings
- R Praggnanandhaa played a pivotal role in India B winning the bronze medal in 44th Chess Olympiad
- This is the third time that R Praggnanandhaa has defeated Magnus Carlsen
FTX Crypto Cup: Indian teenage chess sensation R Praggnanandhaa has been on a roll for quite some time. After registering three straight wins, Praggnanandhaa has scripted a historic feat as he defeated Magnus Carlsen for the third time in the final round of the FTX Crypto Cup in Miami which was held on Monday. The teenage sensation is well renowned for his game and has been taking giant strides continuously. The 17-year-old chess player had defeated the great Magnus Carlsen two times before this and has now replicated the legendary feat yet again.
Praggnanandhaa won three straight games including two in the blitz tie-breaks to stun the current World No.1, Magnus Carlsen, by a margin of 4-2 in the penultimate round of FTX Crypto Cup. But to Praggnanandhaa's dismay, he ended in second place in the final standings of the tournament. Despite his loss to the Indian teenage sensation, Norwegian-based Carlsen finished with 16 match points to the Indian prodigy's tally of 15 and claimed the top spot in the final standings of the tournament. On the other hand, Alireza Firouzja, yet another young chess player managed to finish with 15 points but unfortunately ended up in the third spot owing to the loss against Praggnanandhaa early on in the tournament.
"I've been playing badly for the entire day, but now I think I'm getting the results that I deserve. It is certainly never good to lose, but I feel this is as good a time as any", said Carlsen after the match. Praggnanandhaa who has constantly grabbed headlines for his spectacular game has been on a splendid run and has been beating the Norwegian-based Carlsen for fun. Interestingly, the initial two games of the Carlsen-Praggnanandhaa clash finished in a draw before the world no.1 went ahead and clinched the third.
"I think it could have done better the last few days but I think overall 2nd is good", said Praggnanandhaa after his clash against Carlsen. The 17-year-old also said that he looks forward to locking horns with Carlsen more in the near future as it helps him in improving his gameplay. Praggnanandhaa also played a very crucial role in India B winning the prized bronze medal in the 44th chess Olympiad in Chennai.
