“What A Journey”: Ravichandran Ashwin Hails R Praggnanandhaa After FIDE World Cup Heroics

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa stunned everyone by reaching the final of FIDE World Cup chess tournament after beating world number 3 Fabiano Caruana in Baku, Azerbaijan on Monday. It is a huge achievement for the youngster who has been grabbing headlines with his steady rise in the world of chess and he will now face Magnus Carlsen in the summit clash. The 18-year-old is only the second Indian chess player after the legendary Viswanathan Anand to reach the final of this competition and it was fitting that he achieved the feat thanks to a brilliant tie-break victory.

Veteran Indian cricket team spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was all praise for the chess sensation and he took to social media to share his feelings about Praggnanandhaa’s impressive achievement.

Congratulations @rpragchess on your wonderful run to the final.

What a journey and you are an inspiration to many.
Well done to your entire support system too

— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) August 22, 2023

“Congratulations @rpragchess on your wonderful run to the final. What a journey and you are an inspiration to many. Well done to your entire support system too,” he wrote on X, formerly called Twitter.

Following Praggnanandhaa’s win in the semi-final, Anand also lauded his effort on social media.

“Pragg goes through to the final! He beats Fabiano Caruana in the tiebreak and will face Magnus Carlsen now. What a performance!,” chess legend Viswanathan Anand wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Earlier, Praggnanandhaa beat compatriot Arjun Erigaisi 5-4 in a sudden death tie-break to book a place for himself in the semifinals on Thursday. Praggnanandhaa already secured a spot in next year’s Candidates event.

Praggnanandhaa had orchestrated one of the biggest upsets of the FIDE World Cup after he eliminated American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura in the tiebreakers.