WATCH: Will give my best, says Praggnanandhaa ahead of FIDE World Cup summit clash against Magnus Carlsen

Indian prodigy R Praggnanandhaa has surged into the final of the FIDE World Cup, setting the stage for a showdown against five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen. The 18-year-old secured his place after a gripping semifinal victory over GM Fabiano Caruana

R Praggnanandhaa, the Indian chess prodigious is set to contend with five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen in the race for the World Cup championship title on Tuesday. The 18-year-old secured his spot in the final by narrowly defeating GM Fabiano Caruana 3.5-2.5 in a semifinal that hinged on a decisive tiebreak victory.

In the post-match interview, Praggnanandhaa said: "It feels really good to qualify for the Candidates; I really wanted to fix this spot,"

"I didn't expect to play Magnus in this tournament at all because the only way I could play him was in the final, and I didn't expect to be in the final… I will just try to give my best and see how it goes!"

On the other hand, the 32-year-old Carlsen, who relinquished his decade-long world champion title, chose not to participate in the world championship battle, citing waning motivation and a desire to avoid the challenges of another campaign.

Praggnanandhaa's Path to the Final:

Praggnanandhaa received a bye in the opening round of the event in Baku. In the second round, he outmatched the 29-year-old French player Maxime Lagarde, securing a victory with a score of 1.5-0.5. The next contender was experienced Czech GM David Navara, whom Pragg surpassed with a score of 1.5-0.5.

Moving forward, Praggnanandhaa eliminated American grandmaster and World No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura (World No. 3 as per live ratings) in the tiebreakers. Despite drawing both classical games in the fourth-round encounter, Praggnanandhaa emerged victorious with a score of 3-1. Hungarian Ferenc Berkes was Prag's fifth-round opponent, but the Indian player dominated with a score of 1.5-0.5, advancing to the sixth round to face compatriot Arjun Erigasi.

Praggnanandhaa's journey to the semifinals involved a sudden-death blitz showdown against compatriot Arjun Erigaisi, following eight games that failed to produce a winner.

In the semifinals, Praggnanandhaa triumphed over his 31-year-old adversary, World No. 3 Fabiano Caruana (World No. 2 as per live ratings), securing a place in the FIDE World Cup final. This achievement marks the first time since Viswanathan Anand in 2002 that an Indian has reached this stage of the FIDE World Cup.

Furthermore, Praggnanandhaa's victory has officially secured his position in the 2024 Candidates Tournament, where the eventual winner will earn the opportunity to challenge world champion Ding Liren.