AICF chief Sanjay Kapoor in awe of R Praggnanandhaa, says 'he played on par with Magnus Carlsen'

Tension is rising high as the FIDE Chess World Cup final has moved into a tiebreak between Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa of India and Magnus Carlsen of Norway which will take placeon Thursday, August 24. With the attention of the chess fraternity on the big contest, All India Chess Federation (AICF) president Sanjay Kapoor has praised 19-year-old Praggnanandhaa for playing on par with Carlsen. The duo drew the opening two games of the final and will head to the tiebreak on Thursday.

Praggnanandhaa on par

"Today, Carlsen had white pieces and Praggnanandhaa had black. Magnus could have been aggressive and taken his chances. But he did not. It is a great feat for our young Turk Prag (Praggnanandhaa). When you see a young player like him do so well, draw games against Magnus, it means that he is playing on par with him," said the AICF chief in an interview with ANI.

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The first game between Praggnanandhaa and Carlsen ended in a draw after 35 moves on Tuesday where the Indian started with white pieces. The Indian Grandmaster had an early advantage in the contest, but Carlsen made a storming return before they shook hands for a draw.

In the second game on Wednesday, Carlsen started with the white pieces and gained an advantage. However, Praggnanandhaa’s slow resolute approach saw him keep calm before settling for a draw after 30 moves. The second draw has seen the World Cup final move into the tiebreak that will take place on Thursday.

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"In the Olympiad last year, we had the podium finish in both men's and women's team events (Bronze medal in both categories). It has never happened before. Now our young Turks have started to show the results. India has started showing great results after a long time. Everyone knows our champion, Vishy (Vishwanathan Anand), but now I feel that our Chess future is bright. Superb performance by them, and great admiration for all who went to the quarterfinals. Losing or winning one game does not define you. Having four out of eight quarterfinalists as Indians is a matter of pride," said Sanjay.

Praggnanandhaa is India’s youngest participant in the Chess World Cup final while he is the third youngest to overall make the final. He could join legendary Vishwanathan Anandin the history books if he wins the World Cup final.

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