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17-year-old Indian Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu defeats world champion, Magnus Carlsen

17-year-old Indian Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu defeated world champion, Magnus Carlsen, for the third time in six months on Monday at the FTX Crypto Cup, the American finale of the Champions Chess Tour, in Miami. Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, a 17-year-old Grandmaster, made history by winning three games in a row and defeating Magnus Carlsen, the reigning five-time World Chess Champion.

About Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa

Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa is a chess grandmaster from India. He was a chess prodigy who earned the international master title at the age of ten, the youngest at the time, and the grandmaster title at the age of twelve, the second-youngest at the time. He became a FIDE Master at the age of seven after winning the World Youth Chess Championship Under-8 title in 2013. On 20 February 2022, he became the third Indian player to win a game against World Champion Magnus Carlsen in any time format, in the Champions Chess Tour 2022 online Airthings Masters rapid tournament with a 15+10 time control.

About The Victory

After losing the third of four rapid games, the 17-year-old Pragg started the round two points behind the Norwegian Carlsen. Carlsen, who was leading the fourth game to a draw, blundered in the endgame, allowing the Indians to take the match to blitz tiebreaks. Praggnanandhaa created a number of chances in the first drawn game, defended superbly in the second, and another draw occurred in a tense third encounter before capitalising on Carlsen’s error to win the fourth.

He won two points in the blitz games, bringing his total to 15. Alireza Firouzja, an Iranian-French teenager, scored three points in the final round to tie Pragg at 15 points but had to settle for third place. Carlsen’s victory in the third rapid game increased his total to 16 points, and he thus emerged as champion, winning the FTX Crypto Cup for the second year in a row.

Carlsen won his third Meltwater Champions Chess Tour title and his first Major title. The result also extends his lead atop the USD1.6 million Tour leaderboard and earns him the tournament’s one-of-a-kind NFT trophy. Pragg and Carlsen were neck-and-neck throughout the tournament, with the youngster putting in a standout performance.

However, in Round 7 of the all-play-all tournament, Pragg faced the true acid test: world No. 1 Carlsen. The youngster had opportunities in the first game but had to defend like a lion in game two. Finally, in the third, he ran out of steam According to a press release issued on Sunday by the event’s organisers, Play Magnus Group, Carlsen clinched the title-winning win with a piece of endgame brilliance and a huge sense of relief.

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