Chess World Cup: R Praggnanandhaa holds Fabiano Caruana to draw in second game; semi-finals heads to tie-break

R Praggnanandhaa drew the second game of the FIDE Chess World Cup semi-final against Fabiano Caruana on Sunday to push the contest into a tie-break.

The 18-year-old Praggnanandhaa and America’s Caruana tied the two-game classical series 1-1. The two players will take part in a tie-break on Monday to decide who advances to the final against World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen.

Sunday’s match between Praggnanandhaa and World No. 3 Caruana had ended in a stalemate after 47 moves.

Carlsen, who had won the first game, settled for a draw in 74 moves against Azerbaijan’s Nijat Abasov to book a spot in the final.

This is the first time the Norwegian superstar has made it to the FIDE Chess World Cup final.

Praggnanandhaa, hailing from Chennai, had already creating history for India. By reaching the semi-finals, he had become only the second Indian to go this deep at a Chess World Cup since the legendary Viswanathan Anand. The Indian GM will also likely feature in the Candidates tournament next year.

The top three finishers in the tournament qualify for the Candidates event in 2024 to determine the challenger to Ding Liren. But Carlsen has stated he has little desire to play the tournament next year.