In Chess, Magnus Carlsen of Norway beat India's R. Praggnanandhaa in tie-breaks to win the title of the FIDE Chess World Cup 2023 at Baku in Azerbaijan. In the final this evening, Carlsen won the World Cup after drawing the second tie-break against Praggnanandhaa. Final score was Carlsen 1.5 and Praggnanandhaa 0.5. While Carlsen got Gold, Praggnanandhaa bagged silver.

After three days and four games of intensely nervy chess across two formats, Magnus Carlsen finally managed to win the FIDE World Cup for the first time in his career. He defeated India’s Praggnanandhaa in the final, but not before the 18-year-old teenage prodigy had dragged him through the tie-breaker. Carlsen’s win was confirmed after the second game of the tiebreaker. The two players had played out one draw each on Tuesday and Wednesday.  

Regardless of the final loss, the FIDE World Cup has been an event to savour for the teenager from Chennai since he also sealed a spot at the prestigious Candidates Tournament, which is held to find a challenger for world champion Ding Liren at the next world chess championship battle. Pragg, who turned 18 during the World Cup, was the youngest World Cup finalist ever, and is the youngest World Cup winner. Seeded 31, Pragg is also the lowest seed to make the final of the World Cup.

Praggnanandhaa etched his name in the history books of Indian chess. He had become the first Indian after Viswanathan Anand to reach the final and was a victory away from joining the Indian legend at the top.