Praggnanandhaa beats Carlsen but loses out on top prize

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Young Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa produced a superb performance, winning three straight games including two in the blitz tie-breaks to outwit world No.1 Magnus Carlsen 4-2 in the final round of the FTX Crypto Cup here on Monday.

However, despite the win over Carlsen, the 17-year old could only take second place in the final standings.

The Norwegian won the top prize on the basis of a higher score. He finished with 16 match points to the Indian prodigy's tally of 15.

"I've been playing badly all day, but now I'm getting the results I deserve... It's never good to lose, but this is as good a time as any!," Carlsen said after the match.

Alireza Firouzja, another highly-rated teen and a prodigy, also finished on 15 points but had to settle for third place as he had lost the clash against Praggnanandhaa earlier.

The first two games of the Carlsen-Praggnanandhaa match were drawn before the world No.1 went ahead by clinching the third.

In a surprise turn of events, the Indian won the fourth game to push the match into the tie-breaks. He shocked the Norwegian by winning both the games in the tie-break.

Praggnanandhaa has been in splendid form this year and had previously beaten the world champion twice in online events.

Daily Pioneer
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