Praggnanandhaa stuns Hikaru Nakamura to script upset in FIDE World Cup

NEW DELHI: Grandmaster (GM) R. Praggnanandhaa orchestrated one of the biggest upsets of the ongoing FIDE World Cup as he eliminated American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura in the tiebreakers. Praggnanandhaa who turned 18 on Thursday sealed his place in the Round of 16. The duo managed to draw both of their classical games in the fourth round which took place on Thursday and Friday.

After Praggnanandhaa’s victory, grandmaster Viswanathan Anand took to X, formerly known as Twitter to congratulate the Indian for his exceptional performance. “And Praggnanandhaa does it! Eliminating one of the pre tournament favourites Hikaru Nakamura to go through to the next round,” Anand wrote in his tweet.

Last month, Praggnanandhaa was also a part of the Global Chess League and he faced Jonas Bjerre in a nail biting encounter. The talented player from India managed to win what was a completely lost position.

After misplaying in the middlegame, Praggnanandhaa defended the best he could and in a queen and rook endgame managed to take over the advantage and win. With seven wins and two draws, Praggnanandhaa is continuing his amazing performance in the league.

Last year, Praggnanandhaa also achieved a remarkable feat when he went on to defeat one of the biggest players in chess Magnus Carlsen thrice in 6 months.