R Praggnanandhaa is a young chess prodigy from India who has made history by becoming the first Indian after Viswanathan Anand to reach the semifinals of the FIDE Chess World Cup. He achieved this feat by defeating his compatriot Arjun Erigaisi in a thrilling tie-break on August 17, 2023.
Praggnanandhaa, who is only 18 years old, started playing chess at the age of six and became the second youngest grandmaster in history at the age of 12 years and 10 months. He has won several national and international titles, including the World Youth Chess Championship in 2019. He is currently ranked 40th in the world and has a rating of 2718.
The FIDE Chess World Cup is a prestigious knockout tournament that features some of the best players in the world. It also serves as a qualifier for the Candidates Tournament, which determines the challenger for the World Chess Championship. Praggnanandhaa is one of the four semifinalists, along with Magnus Carlsen, Sergey Karjakin and Jan-Krzysztof Duda. He will face Karjakin, a former world championship finalist, in the next round.
Q.: Who recently achieved the distinction of being the first Indian, following Viswanathan Anand, to advance to the semifinals of the FIDE Chess World Cup?
A) Viswanathan Anand
B) Arjun Erigaisi
C) Magnus Carlsen
D) R Praggnanandhaa
Ans : D) R Praggnanandhaa
