FIDE Chess World Cup Final, Praggnanandhaa vs Magnus Carlsen: Indian GM's coach optimistic about his chances

Add as a preferred source on Google

India's R Praggnanandhaa has made history by becoming the second Indian player to reach the finals of the FIDE Chess World Cup after Viswanathan Anand. The 18-year-old chess prodigy defeated World No. 3 Fabiano Caruana in tie-breaks in the semi-finals and qualified for the finals.

The Indian Grand Master - who has been in phenomenal form in the ongoing tournament in Baku Azerbaijan - has defeated several big players, including Hikaru Nakamura. He will now face world number one Magnus Carlsen in the final.

Praggnanandhaa stuns World No. 3 Fabiano Caruana in semis

With the win in the semi-finals against Caruana - which lasted for three days - Praggnanandhaa became the third youngest player after the legendary Bobby Fischer and Carlsen to qualify for the Candidates event.

His coach, R B Ramesh, who himself is a Grand Master, is confident of his disciple's chances against Carlsen, the superstar from Norway. Praggnanandhaa is not only the youngest player to reach this stage but also the first Indian to do so.

Praggnanandhaa's coach speaks highly of his protege

"I am extremely proud that he has been doing phenomenally well in this World Cup and qualified for the final. And what I hear is he is the youngest to do so. And also he is the only Indian to qualify for the final," coach Ramesh told ANI.

Ramesh - who is in Chennai - shared his elation over Praggnanandhaa's accomplishments at such a young age, saying, "He has already created many world records in the past. At the age of 10, he became the world's youngest international chess master, there are only two titles given to chess players and he achieved one at the age of 10.

"At the age of 12, he became the second youngest to achieve the grandmaster title. At the age of 14, he crossed the 2600 rating which was the youngest to cross the 2600 rating," he said.

Praggnanandhaa vs Carlsen: Head to Head

Ramesh revealed that Praggnanandhaa and Magnus Carlsen have played each other before. In fact, Pragnnanadha has defeated Carlsen five times in their previous encounters in a different format. The coach believes the match will be exciting.

Although they have played before, this is the highest platform where they are meeting each other. Their last encounter was in January when Praggnanandhaa managed to secure a draw against Magnus with the black pieces.

"I am very optimistic about Prags chances," said coach Ramesh. He believes that a good night's sleep before the match will be crucial for his student, who is already feeling confident in his abilities.