Magnus Carlsen, the Norwegian world No.1, quickly finished the second classical game in a draw with the Indian Grand-master, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, on Wednesday. The world-class player looked like he was still struggling health-wise.
What looks like a bout of food poisoning, Carslen has been suffering for the past few days; hence, he didn’t push for a result in the second classical game. After the match, R Praggnanandhaa stated that he realized early on that Carlsen wanted a draw out of this game.
The finals of the Chess World Cup are being played in Baku, Azerbaijan! Carlsen’s opening choice clearly showed he wanted a balanced game instead of going all out for a kill. He had a bailout line where 4 knights and the e5 variation were aligned.
Carlsen has informed us that he was not feeling too well; however, the organizers, the doctors, the nurses, and the FIDE committee are doing everything they can to help him. He has received good treatment and support, hence, feeling better.
He also stated that he did not have his full energy for the second game leading to the quick draw, yet he is hopeful that within a day or so, he will be in to give his full fight!
R Praggnanandhaa has been asked about the easy draw, to which he mentioned that this is one of the easier go-to steps, especially regarding the white! Yet, the grand-master was poised and did not give any leeway to the world champion.
An 18-year-old chess player, R Praggnanandhaa has the finesse of an architect and a mind as sharp as a monk! He ensured that he was alert and did not make a mistake to give way to Carlsen’s strategy.
In this tournament, Praggnanandhaa has already played a few tie-breakers. Hence, he wouldn’t be in his element. He has played and won against strong players in tie-breakers, such as Fabiano Caruana, Arjun Erigaisi, and Hikaru Nakamura. So, all he needs to do is bring the same mindset against Carlen!
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