Praggnanandhaa falls short in Chess World Cup final: Top reactions
What's the story
Magnus Carlsen defeated India's R Praggnanandhaa to win the Chess World Cup on Thursday. The two-game classical series ended in a draw before Carlsen defeated Praggnanandhaa in the tiebreaker.
Despite losing the final, Praggnanandhaa pushed world number one Carlsen all the way and fell short in the end.
It was a superb performance from Praggnanandhaa in the tournament. We present the top reactions.
WC
Praggnanandhaa's journey in the 2023 FIDE Chess World Cup
Round 1: Bye
Round 2: Beat Lagarde Maxime 1.5-0.5
Round 3: Beat David Navara 1.5-0.5
Round 4: Beat Hikaru Nakamura 3-1 (tie-breaks)
Round 5: Beat Ferenc Berkes 1.5-0.5
Round 6: Beat Arjun Erigaisi 5-4 (tie-breaks)
Round 7: Beat Fabiano Caruana 3.5-2.5 (tie-breaks)
Round 8: Lost to Magnus Carlsen (tie-breaks)
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Praggnanadhaa settles for a silver
Carlsen claimed his maiden Chess World Cup honor as Praggnanadhaa settled for a silver. The 3rd position went to Fabiano Caruana (USA), who beat Nijat Abasov (Azerbaijan).
News
Praggnanandhaa became the third-youngest to reach the Candidates Tournament
Earlier, Praggnanandhaa became the third-youngest player to qualify for the Candidates Tournament, the final event in the World Championship cycle.
Notably, the top three finishers of the FIDE World Cup qualify for the Candidates Tournament.
The winner of the Candidates Tournament faces the reigning World Chess Champion in the championship match. Chinese GM Ding Liren is the defending champion.
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Ashwin, Sachin lead tributes
Indian cricketer R Ashwin tweeted, saying Praggnanandhaa has made everyone proud as usual.
Former Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar tweeted: "Congratulations on an incredible tournament, @rpragchess ! Keep chasing your dreams and making India proud."
Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan also poured in his tribute.
Praggnanandhaa's father told ANI that playing against world number one Carlsen was a massive achievement for his son.
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Congratulations on an incredible tournament, @rpragchess!
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) August 24, 2023
Keep chasing your dreams and making India proud. ♟️🇮🇳 #FIDEWorldCup
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Pragg. 👏👏🤗 you made us proud as usual. #praggnanandha @rpragchess
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) August 24, 2023
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You aren’t the ‘runner-up’ @rpragchess This is simply your ‘run-up’ to Gold and to greatness. Many battles require you to learn & live to fight another day. You’ve learned & you will fight again; and we will all be there again…cheering you on loudly. 🇮🇳👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 #praggnanandha https://t.co/2L0U1cZD4E
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) August 24, 2023
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#WATCH | After Indian chess grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa finishes second at 2023 FIDE World Cup, his father Ramesh Babu, says, "In the final, he played against world no.1 Magnus Carlsen. Losing or winning this match was not important but playing against world no.1 was very… pic.twitter.com/JYVMWTNvIE
— ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2023
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Triumph is not limited to the final result. For me, you are a true CHAMPION!
— Hrithik Roshan (@iHrithik) August 24, 2023
Congratulations @rpragchess for being in top form throughout the #FIDEWorldCupFinal. More power to you, Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa! 🤗
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Vishwanathan Anand praises champion Carlsen
Chess legend Vishwanathan Anand praised Carlsen. "In the end, it's Magnus! His persistence is rewarded with a victory in the only tournament that eluded him so far! Congratulations to the #FIDEWorldCup2023 winner Magnus Carlsen!