FIDE World Cup 2023: Praggnanandhaa holds Caruana for a draw, semifinal heads to tie-break

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Baku (Azerbaijan), 20 Aug: Teenaged Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa drew the second game of the FIDE World Cup semifinal against American GM Fabiano Caruana on Sunday to push the contest into a tie-break.

The 18-year-old Praggnanandhaa tied the two-match classical series against Caruana 1-1. The two players will take part in a tie-break on Monday (August 21) to decide who advances to the final against world No.1 Magnus Carlsen.

Sunday's match between Praggnanandhaa and world No.3 Caruana ended in a stalemate in 47 moves. Carlsen, who had won the first game on Saturday, settled for a draw in 74 moves against Azerbaijan player Nijat Abasov to book his spot in the final.

This was the first time the Norwegian superstar has made it to the World Cup final. Praggnanandhaa, teenage chess star from Chennai, became only the second Indian ever to qualify for the semifinals of the World Cup after the legendary Viswanathan Anand and he will also feature in the Candidates tournament next year.

The top three finishers in the tournament qualify for the Candidates event in 2024 to determine the challenger to Ding Liren.