Praggnanandhaa Prepares for Next Match with a Renewed Mindset Following Second Draw Against Magnus Carlsen
Indian chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa has expressed his intention to approach his upcoming International Chess Federation (FIDE) World Cup final match against the world’s top-ranked player, Magnus Carlsen, with a fresh perspective. Praggnanandhaa acknowledges the need for rest, considering the numerous tiebreaks he has been participating in.
The second game of the Classical Chess face-off between Indian grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa and Norway’s Magnus Carlsen, world number one, concluded in a draw. The FIDE World Cup final winner will be determined in the upcoming match on Thursday. Praggnanandhaa shared his thoughts about the game, mentioning that he didn’t anticipate Carlsen’s swift draw strategy but understood his approach. Feeling fatigued himself, Praggnanandhaa aims to give his best effort in the following match and unwind afterward.
He commented on Carlsen’s condition, noting that while Carlsen didn’t seem to have a lot of energy, he didn’t appear unwell either, hoping for Carlsen’s recovery for the decisive match. Carlsen had previously revealed that he had been dealing with food poisoning after his semifinal win, affecting his preparation for the final match against Praggnanandhaa.
Both grandmasters faced off in the second classical game with Carlsen having the white pieces. Praggnanandhaa advanced to the final by defeating World No. 3 Fabiano Caruana in tiebreaks.
As the classical games resulted in draws, a playoff is scheduled for Thursday. The tiebreak procedure involves two rapid games with a 25-minute time control and a 10-second increment per move. If further resolution is needed, two ‘slow blitz’ games follow, each with a time control of 10 minutes plus a 10-second increment per move.
