Magnus Carlsen beats R Praggnanandhaa in tiebreaker, wins Chess World Cup; know how much money winner and runner-up will take home

The second 25+10 tie-break game ended in a draw in 22 moves as the Norwegian legend played it safe after he had won the first, displaying his end-game skills.

Baku (Azerbaijan):World champion Magnus Carlsen beat Indian Grandmaster and 18-year-old chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa in the tiebreaker to win the FIDE World Cup 2023 finals in Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan on Thursday. The first and second matches of the final had both ended in a draw.

Praggnanandhaa's dream run in the FIDE World Cup ended at the hands of Carlsen, who beat him 1.5-0.5 in the tie-break after the classical games ended in a stalemate. Magnus Carlsen prevailed with black in the first rapid game of the Final tiebreak, leaving Praggnanandhaa in a must-win situation. Carlsen’s win was confirmed after the second game of the tiebreaker. The two players had played out one draw each on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The second 25+10 tie-break game ended in a draw in 22 moves as the Norwegian legend played it safe after he had won the first, displaying his end-game skills. It was Carlsen's first World Cup triumph, having won the World Championship five times. Carlsen overcame a stiff challenge from his 18-year-old Indian opponent in the first tie-break game, winning it in 45 moves. He overcame the problems he encountered due to Praggnanandhaa's enterprising play to turn the tables and seize the advantage.

The two classical games on Tuesday and Wednesday had ended in draws forcing the final to a tie-break. Praggnanandhaa enjoyed an incredible run in the tournament, having beaten world No.2 Hikaru Nakamura and world No.3 Fabiano Caruana to set up a final date against Carlsen. The results in the ongoing tournament also helped Praggnanandhaa qualify for Candidates 2024 tournament, which will be held in Canada.

Praggnanandhaa, thus, became the third youngest player after the legendary Bobby Fischer and Carlsen to qualify for the Candidates tournament. Carlsen as the winner of the final will bag $110,000 (Around Rs 90 lakh), while Praggnanandhaa will take home approximately $80,000 (Around Rs 66 lakh).

Here were the rules for Chess World Cup final tie-breaks:

• If the overall score remains tied after the initial two regular games, a new drawing of colours will be conducted immediately after Game 2. Subsequently, two tie-break games will be played, with each player having 25 minutes + 10 seconds increment per move, starting from move 1.
• If the score is still tied, another drawing of colours will take place, and two games will be played with each player allocated 10 minutes + 10 seconds increment per move, starting from move 1.
• If parity persists, another drawing of colours will occur, followed by two games with each player having 5 minutes + 3 seconds increment per move, starting from move 1.
• Should the deadlock persist, a new drawing of colours will happen, and a single game will be played, featuring a time control of 3 minutes + 2 seconds increment per move, starting from move 1, to determine the victor.
• If this decisive game ends in a draw, another game will be played, with the same time control of 3 minutes + 2 seconds increment per move. The colours will be reversed from the previous game.
• If the second decisive game also ends in a draw, the process will be repeated until one player wins a game. (With Agency inputs)