R Praggnanandhaa, an 18-year-old prodigy, defeated fellow countryman Arjun Erigaisi on Thursday in a thrilling victory to secure his place in the FIDE Chess World Cup semifinals. After Vishwanathan Anand, the young Grandmaster was the only Indian to advance to the Chess World Cup final four. He is nearly guaranteed a spot in the Candidates event that will take place the following year.
Arjun and Praggnanandhaa engaged in a quarterfinal humdinger match that required a sudden death tie-break. The 18-year-old won the game 5-4 by a razor-thin margin.
After losing the first game of the two-game competition, Praggnanandhaa triumphed in the second. He forced a tie-break, which was another exciting encounter to witness.
In the tiebreak, the 18-year-old won the first 5+3 blitz game before Arjun tied it up in the following one.
As the top three finishers in the current competition qualify for the Candidates event, which will be held in 2024, R Praggnanandhaa virtually certainly secures his spot in it with this. Magnus Carlsen, the current world champion, is unlikely to compete in the Candidates.
For the global championship, the Candidates winner will compete against Ding Liren of China.