R Praggnanandhaa, the Indian chess prodigy, won the silver medal in the Chess World Cup 2023 after losing the final to the five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen in Baku on Thursday, August 24. The Indian teenager, who turned 18 during the tournament, lost to Carlsen 1.5-0.5 in the tie-breaker on the third day of the final as the latter proved to be too good, especially with the time management, which Praggnanandhaa struggled with.
Praggnanandhaa became the youngest player ever to feature in the Chess World Cup final and only the second Indian after Vishwanathan Anand. It maybe a lost final for Praggnanandhaa but it was a valiant effort from the Indian prodigy, who dragged Carlsen to a tie-breaker after three long days and four intense matches.
Praggnanandhaa walked away with a prize money of $80,000 (INR 66 Lakh approx.) while Carlsen won $110,000 (INR 91 Lakh). The American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, who finished third after beating Nijat Abasov got $60,000 (INR 50 Lakh) while the latter received $50,000 (INR 41 Lakh).
The first and second rounds were tied as the final moved to a thrilling tie-breaker but the World No. 1 Carlsen proved to be too good for Praggnanandhaa. Carlsen won the first game in 45 moves. After losing the first game of the tie-break, Praggnanandhaa needed to win on demand with the black pieces.
But the bigger achievement for Praggnanandhaa is that he became the third youngest to qualify for the Candidates tournament in 2024 after the legendary Bobby Fischer and Carlsen. The top three from the Chess World Cup qualify for the Candidates event. The winner of which will challenge the current champion, Ding Liren of China.
