Chess World Cup: R Praggnanandhaa holds Magnus Carlsen to 2 draws, winner to be decided via tie-breaker

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa held his own against World No.1 Magnus Carlsen as he played out draws in two classical games on August 23.

The FIDE Chess World Cup 2023 final will now be decided via tie-breaker on Thursday.

In the first game, The 18-year-old Praggnanandhaa held his own against a fancied and higher-rated opponent and forced a stalemate in 35 moves playing white pieces.

Magnus Carlsen, who revealed he had food poisoning in the lead-up to the big final, settled for a draw in the second game in Baku.

The Indian teenager became only the second player from the country to reach the final of the World Cup after the legendary Viswanathan Anand and qualified for the Candidates tournament in 2024.

However, both players agreed to a draw, pushing the game to a tie-breaker. In the tie-breaker, the two players will play two games in a rapid format with a time control of 10 minutes for each player and a 10-second increment for each move.

If a winner is still not decided, two more rapid games will be played with a time control of 5 minutes and a 3-second increment of each move. If the score is still a draw, then the final will be played in a sudden-death mode in a single blitz game.