Chess: India's Praggnanandhaa enters FIDE World Cup final with win over No. 3 ranked Caruana

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa got the better ofworld No. 3Fabiano Caruana 3.5-2.5 via the tie-break in the semifinals of the FIDE World Cup chess tournament on Monday (August 21) to storm into the final.After the two-game classical series ended at 1-1, the teenageroutlasted the highly-rated American GM in a battle of wits in what was a riveting tie-breaker.

Praggnanandhaa will now take on Norway's Magnus Carlsen in the summit clash.

Following the win, the Indian prodigy was lauded by chess legend Viswananthan Anand on X, formerly known as Twitter. Anand took to his official account and heaped praise on his compatriot. He wrote, "Pragg goes through to the final! He beats Fabiano Caruana in the tiebreak and will face Magnus Carlsen now. What a performance!"

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Praggnanandhaa on the cusp of creating history

With the game in the balance, Praggnanandhaa was proactive and displayed his tactical acumen to the fore as he edged past the American Grandmaster in a thrilling tie-breaker.

With this win, the 18-year-old has become the first Indianto make it to the Chess World Cup final since 2002after Anand. It is to be noted that the latter claimed the World Cup title twice, in 2000 and 2002 (when it was played in a different format).

The International Chess Federation tweeted, "Praggnanandhaa goes to the final of the #FIDEWorldCup! The Indian prodigy managed to beat world #3 Fabiano Caruana 3.5-2.5 after tiebreaks and will battle it out against Magnus Carlsen for the title."

With Praggnanandhaa set to face a stern challenge againstCarlsen in the final, the whole nation is behind the youngster as he eyes a major glory. Will the young prodigy end India's 21-year drought and come at par with Anand with a World Cup title? Onlytime will tell...

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