Culture

Chennai teenager Pragg becomes youngest player ever to enter World Cup Chess final

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa stormed into the finals of the World Cup chess tournament after a stunning victory over world number 2 Fabiano Caruana in the semifinal at Baku in Azerbaijan.

The 18-year-old from Chennai will be the youngest ever grandmaster and only the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to enter the final of the World Cup chess tournament where he will face world number 1 Magnus Carlsen today.

The Indian teenager defeated Caruana 3.5-2.5 via the tie-break in the semifinal round.

“Pragg goes through to the final! He beats Fabiano Caruana in the tiebreak and will face Magnus Carlsen now. What a performance!,” chess legend Viswanathan Anand wrote on  X (formerly Twitter).

Pragg had shown his class in the earlier rounds when he beat world number 3 and five-time US chess champion Hikaru Nakamura.

He has also become only the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to get the coveted Candidates spot in the history of the sport.

IN Bureau

Recent Posts

Forty-five Chinese aircraft, 6 vessels detected near Taiwan, tensions rise

The Ministry of National Defence in Taiwan reported a surge in activity by the People's…

28 mins ago

Indian Minister of Ports, Iran Foreign Minister stress on long-term maritime cooperation

Minister of Ports Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal who is on a visit to Tehran…

35 mins ago

Biden administration initiates process for USD 1 bn arms deal with Israel

The Joe Biden administration has initiated the initial stages of a process to advance a…

1 hour ago

Ramcharitmanas, Panchatantra become part of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register

It was a proud moment for India and its culture as the Ramcharitmanas, Panchatantra and…

3 hours ago

Very abnormal deployment today along LAC, China violated border agreements: Jaishankar

Noting that China violated agreements in 2020 by bringing a number of forces along the…

5 hours ago

China cries foul after new US tariffs; vows to defend its interests

"Firmly opposing" the new US tariffs, China warned that the trade barriers would affect the…

5 hours ago