Magnus Carlsen Crowned Chess World Cup Champion with Win Against Praggnanandhaa

Rameshbabu Praggnanandha was defeated by Magnus Carlsen on Thursday in a tiebreak to win the Chess World Cup.

Carlsen won the first of two tiebreak games before drawing in the second to earn his first World Cup championship after the two players drew the first two games of the championship match.

With his triumph in Baku, Azerbaijan, the Norwegian grandmaster “completes chess,” in the words of Chess.com, as he has now won every significant individual classical chess competition.

Even Carlsen posted a GIF from the popular UK TV program “The Inbetweeners” with the character declaring, “Completed it” to recognize his own success on social media.

The two players have had a difficult few weeks because they have faced a lot of competition to get to the final. Carlsen’s experience with food illness earlier in the week only served to complicate matters further.

Furthermore, there wasn’t much separating Carlsen from adolescent Indian chess sensation Praggnanandhaa, also known to fans as Pragg, especially since Carlsen’s health issues were a significant discussion point.

Millions of viewers tuned in to watch perhaps the sport’s two biggest names face off in an exciting final after two draws. At one point, 115,000 people were watching the live broadcast of the opening game of the final, while more than 150,000 watched the tiebreaker.

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A Grand Display of Chess Skill

Carlsen demonstrated why he is the current World Rapid Champion and No. 1 in the world by outwitting Pragg and putting the 18-year-old in time pressure to win the first game of the tiebreak, which was played in the style of a two-game rapid match.

Carlsen was able to hold on for the draw he needed to win his first World Cup and add it to his collection of chess titles.

The World Cup served as Pragg’s stepping stone to the elite level of the sport.

Pragg, who earlier in his career became the youngest international chess master in history at the age of 10 years, 10 months, and 19 days, defeated two of the top three players in the world to reach the final and earn a spot in the 2024 Candidates Tournament, which selects the challenger to the World Chess Championship.

For the title of world champion, which is currently held by Ding Liren of China, the victor of the Candidates Tournament will compete against the current champion. Carlsen, a five-time winner, was dethroned by Ding after opting not to defend his crown earlier this year.

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Source: MSN