WC Chess: Praggnanandhaa enters last 4; defeats Erigaisi in sudden death tie-break

Baku (Azerbaijan): Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa on Thursday advanced to the semifinals of the FIDE World Cup chess tournament by defeating fellow countryman Arjun Erigaisi 5-4 in a sudden death tie-break.

With the victory, the 17-year-old Praggnanandhaa qualified for the semifinals against American ace Fabiano Caruana and almost earned a seat in the Candidates event for next year.

The teenage chess star from Chennai, by virtually securing a place in the Candidates tournament, would be the only Indian other than five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand to feature in the Candidates.

With world No.1 Magnus Carlsen not likely to feature in the Candidates, Praggnanandhaa could be playing in the tournament to decide the challenger to current world champion Ding Liren.

Praggnanandhaa had bounced back after losing the first game of the two-game classical series to win the second on Wednesday to force the tie-break.

In the first 5+3 blitz game, Praggnanandhaa played fantastically to take down Erigaisi.

Erigaisi hit back in the next to level the match.

Games three and four were won by Praggnanandhaa and Erigaisi respectively as the quarterfinal headed to a sudden death decider. Interestingly, all games were won by players with black pieces.

Both the Indians showed nerves of steel, scoring wins in crucial games as the last eight clashes ebbed and flowed due to enterprising play by the duo.

Noted coach R.B. Ramesh said on X (formerly Twitter) after the match: "What an epic match! Well played both young lions! Proud of both players for their fighting spirit throughout! @rpragchess @ArjunErigaisi."

Two other Indians -- 17-year old D Gukesh and Vidit Santosh Gujrathi -- had crashed out in the quarterfinals, losing to world No.1 Carlsen and Nijat Abasov respectively.

The top three finishers in the tournament qualify for the Candidates event in 2024 to determine the challenger to Ding Liren.

With PTI inputs