World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen showed his class and temperament when it mattered, as he prevailed over Indian teen sensation R. Praggnanandhaa in the tie-breaker of the Chess World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The winner was decided in the first stage of the tie-breaker itself, with the Norwegian star winning the first game of the tie-breaker, and drawing the next one. The final score was 1.5 for Carlsen and 0.5 for Praggnanandhaa.
The second 25+10 tie-break game ended in a draw in 22 moves as the Norwegian legend played it safe. Carlsen prevailed with black pieces in the first game, winning it in 45 moves.
It was the first World Cup title for the world No. 1, having won the World Championship five times.
Time management proved to be a concern for the Indian teenager, as Carlsen showed his experience and end-game skills.
With the two classical time control games of the final ending in draw on Tuesday and Wednesday, the match went into the tiebreaker today.
The 18-year-old beat world No.2 Hikaru Nakamura and world No.3 Fabiano Caruana, setting up the final date with Carlsen.
Praggnanandhaa is only the second Indian after the legendary Viswanathan Anand to reach the World Cup final. He has qualified for Candidates 2024 tournament, which will be held in Canada, becoming the third youngest player after the legendary Bobby Fischer and Carlsen to qualify for the Candidates tournament.
