16-year-old R Praggnanandhaa, India’s young grandmaster, defeated world number one Magnus Carlsen for the third time this year. He defeated Carlsen 4-2 in the final round of the FTX Crypto Cup. Despite the victory over Carlsen, he finished second in the final table. Carlsen won the title by scoring the most points.
Key Points
- The first two matches played between Carlsen and Praggnanandhaa were drawn. After which the Norwegian player won the third game but the Indian player did not give up and won the fourth game and dragged the match to a tie-breaker. The Indian then surprised Carlsen by winning both the games in the tie-breaker.
- Carlsen scored a total of 16 points while Praggnanandhaa ended his campaign with 15 points. Alireza Firoza also scored 15 points but finished third as Praggnanandhaa defeated him in the first tournament.
- Praggnanandhaa earned his first win against world champion Magnus Carlsen when he was in the eighth round of the preliminary stage of the AirThings Masters chess tournament held online last February. His second win against Carlsen came on 20 May this year when he defeated Magnus Carlsen in the Chess Masters online rapid chess tournament.
About R. Praggnanandhaa
He is a chess grandmaster of India. At the age of 16, he is considered to be a chess prodigy and is the fifth youngest person to have received the title of grandmaster. His sister Vaishali Rameshbabu is also a chess player and has received the International Masters and the Woman Grandmaster title.
About Magnus Carlsen
Magnus Carlsen is a five-time World Chess Champion and a Norwegian chess grandmaster. He has won the World Rapid Chess Championship three times and the World Blitz Chess Championship five times. Since, 1st July 2011, he has been ranked first in the FIDE world chess rankings. With a peak rating of 2882, he holds the record of having the highest peak recorded in the history of the game. He also holds the record for the longest unbeaten streak in classical chess at the highest level.