Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, gave GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa his congratulations on his entry into the FIDE Chess World Cup final on Tuesday.
In the semifinal tie-break games played in Baku, Azerbaijan, Praggnanandhaa defeated American GM Fabiano Caruana, ranked third in the world, by a score of 3.5 to 2.5. He will now compete against Magnus Carlsen, ranked first in the world and a past world champion, for the championship.
“18-year-old Praggnanandhaa’s outstanding performance in reaching the finals of the Chess World Cup has elevated the country’s name. We are all proud of this remarkable achievement. Congratulations to them for this impressive performance at such a young age!,” Kejriwal posted on X (formerly Twitter).
The talk in chess circles right now is whether Praggnanandhaa would be able to defeat the world No. 1 after winning the competition against the world Nos. 2 and 3.
With this victory, Praggnanandhaa also earned a spot in the Candidates Tournament, whose winner will face Chinese GM Liren Ding, the current world champion, in the match.
The top three players in the World Cup earn a spot in the Candidates Tournament in accordance with FIDE criteria.
In this competition, giant slaying is nothing new for Praggnanandhaa. Hikaru Nakamura of the US, the second-ranked player in the world by rating, was one of many higher-rated opponents he had earlier defeated.
-IANS
