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24 August,2023 08:18 AM IST |  Baku  |  PTI

Final between Indian sensation Praggnanandhaa and five-time world champ Carlsen moves into third day as second game ends in draw after 30 moves

India’s Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa (left) and World No. 1 player Magnus Carlsen of Norway during the second match of the Chess World Cup final in Baku yesterday. Pic/PTI


In an anticlimax of sorts, the second game of the Chess World Cup final between Indian teen sensation R Praggnanandhaa and Magnus Carlsen failed to throw a winner, as it ended in a draw after 30 moves here on Wednesday.

The two players settled for a quiet draw in the second classical game after one-and-a-half hours of play. The champion will be decided via two tie-breaks on Thursday. Five-time world champion Carlsen played a solid game with white pieces against Praggnanandhaa. The Indian did not face any trouble with black pieces, with the players agreeing to a draw after 30 moves in an equal Bishop ending.

The first game on Tuesday had ended in a stalemate after over four hours of play and 70-plus moves, following which Carlsen said he was a bit under the weather. After the match, Carlsen said, "Praggnanandhaa has already played a lot of tie-breaks against very strong players... I know he is very strong. If I have some energy, if I have a good day, obviously I will have good chances."

Also Read: 'His mother deserves full credit': Praggnanandhaa's father

"I am very grateful to the organisers, FIDE and the doctors and nurses, who got me some good treatment. Today, I am feeling a bit better but I still didn't feel like I had the energy for a full fight, so I thought, let's get one more day of rest. "Hopefully, I will have more strength tomorrow," the Norwegian world No. 1 added.

The two tie-break games in rapid format will be played with a time control of 25 minutes for each player plus 10 seconds increment per move, starting from move 1. If those two games also fail to throw a winner, two more games with time control of 5 minutes for each player will be played. There will be 3 seconds increment per move, starting from move 1.

It's a golden generation of Indian chess: Vishy

With India producing chess Grandmasters aplenty besides setting a name for itself on the world stage, legendary Indian GM Viswanathan Anand firmly believes that the current lot happens to be a golden generation in Indian chess.

Speaking to a weekly news magazine, Anand said, "I'm throwing in the title early, but they are a golden generation. They are all in the 2,700-plus group [Elo rating]. And they're all under 20. That just does not happen; it's really something special.

"And what this means, and the reason I call them the golden generation, is they're going to spend the next ten years at the top. With varying career trajectories, of course, but they're going to spend the next 10 years being rivals and colleagues and friends and everything," Anand said.

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