Pragg overcomes nerves, Caruana to make Chess World Cup final against Carlsen | Chess News

All the other matches in the arena were done. As the other tables of the FIDE World Cup in Baku cleared out, all eyes were on one board, a semifinal clash of the men’s event on Monday.
Both players, wearing white shirts, were engrossed in not giving the other an upper hand. Perhaps one could point out that one looked younger but it would almost be impossible to tell who was the favourite.In the end, it was the younger, 18-year-old R Praggnanandhaa from India who beat his 31-year-old opponent, World No. 3 Fabiano Caruana to become the first Indian since Viswanathan Anand in 2002 to make it to the final of the FIDE World Cup.
In doing so, the youngster officially confirmed his spot at the 2024 Candidates Tournament, the winner of which will challenge world champion Ding Liren.
After the two-game classical series of the semifinal held over the previous two days ended 1-1, the match had to be settled in tiebreakers on Monday.
The first two rapid games ended in draws, but the teenager managed to get the better of the American Grandmaster in the third game to put one foot into the final. All he had to do was draw the next game to enter the title clash. It was nervy for Pragg, who tried to be a tad too cautious in what should’ve been a very comfortable game for him. He somehow managed to hold on and draw the match to confirm his spot in the final against five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen.
“The win in this match goes to my defensive skills, otherwise I was almost losing in every single game. In the first two classical games, I was defending throughout,” Pragg told FIDE after his victory.
“The third game (first tiebreaker) I was lost but with time pressure, it’s never easy. In the fourth game, I was pushing a little bit. Fifth game (which Praggnanandhaa won) the position was equal but things went wrong for him. Despite the time scramble, I managed not to mess up and convert it. In the final game, I tried to be cautious which is never a good idea in such situations and then I allowed a lot of counterplay. I could have been in danger,” the Indian reflected on the match.
Unbelievable tournament
Everything seems to be coming together for Pragg at this tournament. Admittedly, before the start of the tournament, all he was preparing for was to beat World No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura as he knew that fourth-round clash was going to be his biggest hurdle. After beating him in tiebreakers, Pragg managed to overcome close friend and compatriot Arjun Erigaisi in a very tense quarterfinal tie (also tiebreakers). Entering the semifinal meant that he had a spot in the Candidates, but it was subject to Carlsen not playing the tournament. winning the semifinal, he cemented that spot.
“I didn’t want to get into the Candidates being fourth in this tournament. So now to be one the first people to confirm this spot, it feels really good,” he said.
Now he faces his ultimate test, World No. 1 Carlsen. While Pragg has beaten him before, Carlsen has a point to prove after choosing not to defend his World Championship title and will be raring to go.They may be good friends now after playing in the same team in the Global Chess League, but Carlsen isn’t going to take it easy, just like he comfortably defeated India’s highest-rated player, 17-year-old Gukesh D in the quarterfinal.
Given Pragg’s impressive record in tiebreakers this tournament, his best chance against Carlsen would be to defend the two classical games and then in rapids, it could be anybody’s game.
“I didn’t expect to play Carlsen at all in this tournament. The only way I could play him was in the final and I never expected to make it so far,” he admitted.
The Chennai lad won’t have much time for preparation as the final begins on Tuesday. Carlsen had a rest day on Monday after needing just the two classical games to beat local challenger Azerbaijan’s Nijat Abasov in the other semifinal.
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When Pragg defeated Nakamura, Carlsen told the youngster, everyone who wants to make it big in chess, should ‘be like Pragg’. The youngster’s dedication and commitment to chess from such an early age has seen him be the flag-bearer of Indian chess.
When asked what it means to ‘be like Pragg’, RB Ramesh, his long-time coach, said it’s the willpower and dedication to not be dracted.
Carlsen may not be an obstacle in Praggnanandhaa’s ultimate goal of being the world champion, but a win over the only player to have a rating of 2800+ will make a world of difference to the Indian’s confidence.