Chess World Cup 2023 final LIVE — Teen prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Magnus Carlsen end game in a draw
MILLIONS tuned in for the FIDE Chess World Cup final between Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen and Indian teen prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa.
The 18-year-old, fondly known as Pragg, was tasked with facing off against the five-time world champion in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The game ended in a draw after 35 moves and a grueling three hours.
Pragg and Magnus haven't seen the last of each other as the two competitors will face off once again for the second game of the match.
The match will continue tomorrow morning at 7am ET / 1pm CEST / 4:30pm IST.
Read our Chess World Cup final live blog below for the latest news and updates...
How to watch the final
You can watch the 2023 FIDE World Cup live on Chess24’s Twitch and YouTube channels.
You can also catch up on the latest rounds via the official
Game ends in a draw!
The competitors have shaken hands and agreed to a draw.
The game ends after 35 moves and three hours of intellectual exercise.
Pragg takes Knight D2
Pragg has made his decision by moving Knight D2.
Magnus immediately moved Rca8.
Pragg responded by moving Nf3.
Looks like neither competitor is ready to call a draw just yet.
15 minutes left on the clock
Pragg has 15 minutes left on the clock to make his move.
The match is heading toward a draw but one of the competitors must offer it before the game ends.
Who is Magnus Carlsen?
The 32-year-old is a former five-time World Chess Champion and current four-time World Rapid Chess Champion.
He was born in Tonsberg on November 30, 1990.
Carlsen was taught to play chess at the age of five by his father.
He participated in his first tournament in 1999 when he was aged 8 years and 7 months.
His big break though came the following year in the country’s junior teams championship.
He became an International Master in August 2003 and a Grand Master in April 2004
Carlsen claimed his first world title in 2013 in India by beating Viswanathan Anand and successfully defended the title the following year against the same opponent.
Drama in the third-place match
Over in the match for third place, things have come to a dramatic end.
Abasov left Caruana fumbling and things quickly concluded.
Abasov officially takes home the third-place prize.
Queens are traded as match heads towards a draw
Today's final is slowly moving toward a draw as both players take their rivals Queen.
And instantly after, Pragg and Magnus also trade their Rooks.
Experts at the final think this match could be heading toward a draw.
Who won the FIDE Chess World Cup in 2022?
The FIDE Grand Prix 2022 was a series of three chess tournaments played between 4 February and 4 April 2022.
The top two finishers – and Richárd Rapport – qualified for the Candidates Tournament 2022, which was the final qualification stage for the World Chess Championship 2023.
Hikaru Nakamura claimed the winning title in the last tournament held in Berlin, Germany.
Nakamura, 35, is an American chess grandmaster, Twitch streamer, YouTube content creator, five-time U.S. Chess Champion, and the reigning World Fischer Random Chess Champion.
A chess prodigy, he earned his grandmaster title at the age of 15 -the youngest American at the time to do so.
With a peak rating of 2816, Nakamura is the tenth-highest-rated player in history.
More pieces won as the final heats up
Here are the first 16 moves of today's final as things heat up.
- C4 – E5
- NC3 – NF6
- NF3 – NF6
- G3 – D5
- cxd5 – NXD5
- BG2 – NF6
- B4 – BD6
- B5 – ND4
- QA4 – NXF3+
- BXF3 – O-0
- 0-0 - A6
- D3 - H6
- BA3 - RB8
- BXD6 - CXD6
- RAB1 -AXB5
- QXB5 - BD7
Both players capture pieces
In a quick exchange, both Pragg and Magnus have taken pieces off the board.
Pragg took Magnus' bishop and Black responded in kind, taking the teen progidy's bishop at D6.
Hikaru player profile
Hikaru Nakamura, born December 9, 1987 in Hirakata, Japan, moved to the US when he was just two years old.
Nakamura is one of the world’s top players for well over a decade.
He is one of the top American players and is now a key contributor to the chess world.
He is a five-time U.S. champion, claiming the title in 2005, 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2019.
Nakamura was also a participant in FIDE’s 2004 World Championship tournament and a candidate for the world championship in both 2016 and 2022.
Magnus makes his move
After a 28-minute wait (yes 28!) Magnus Carlsen has made his move.
He took his Rook to b8 in a move that experts say will lead to trouble for the Grand Master later in the match.
Magnus goes 20 minutes without a move
It has now been almost 20 minutes since Magnus made a move.
You can almost see the gears moving in the Grand Master's head.
What will he do next?
How to watch the final
You can watch the 2023 FIDE World Cup live on Chess24's Twitch and YouTube channels.
You can also catch up on the latest rounds via the official
What is Magnus Carlsen's IQ?
Carlsen reportedly has an IQ of 190.
A score over 140 points is considered a genius level, which according to scientists on 0.5percent of people have.
He is the youngest chess player ever to be ranked number one in the world.
Chess icon Garry Kasparov personally coached him until 2010.
How to qualify for the tournament?
- Reigning World Champion as of June 1, 2023.
- Winner, runner-up, and two other 2021 FIDE World Cup semifinalists.
- Reining Women's World Champion as of June 1, 2023.
- 2020 U-20 Junior World Champion.
- Eighty players who qualified from continental events.
- Thirteen highest-rated players (FIDE's June 2023 rating list) who did not qualify from any of the other paths.
- One player from the 2022 ACP Tour.
- One hundred players, determined by the final ranking of the 2022 Chess Olympiad main competition.
- Three FIDE President nominees.
- Two organizer nominees.
A quick exchange
Pragg has responded by taking D3 and Magnus quickly hit back with H6.
No pieces have been taken in quite some time now, things are getting very tense in this grand final.
Magnus takes A6
After a short break, Magnus has returned to move his pawn to A6.
How will Pragg respond?
Pragg was all smiles ahead of final
Chess prodigy Pragg was all smiles ahead of his epic final today.
The teen is joined in Baku by his mother.
The moves so far
Here are the first ten moves from each of our finalists, with Pragg moving first.
- C4 - E5
- NC3 - NF6
- NF3 - NF6
- G3 - D5
- cxd5 - NXD5
- BG2 - NF6
- B4 - BD6
- B5 - ND4
- QA4 - NXF3+
- BXF3 - O-0
Magnus takes Pragg's knight
And Magnus responds by taking Pragg's knight at F3.
Pragg quickly responds by taking the knight with his bishop at F3.
An exciting exchange between the two masters...
Queen to A4
Pragg's ninth move of the match sees him move his Queen to A4.
Magnus has taken a long time to ponder his next move.
This is tense...
Pragg moves to B4
Pragg is continuing his confident start here, as he moves his bishop to B4.
Magnus responds by moving to BD6.
Pragg responds
Here are the first five moves from today's final
- 1 c4 e5
- 2 Nc3 Nf6
- 3 Nf3 Nc6
- 4 g3 d5
- 5 cxd5 Nxd5
It's been a positive start for Indian teen Pragg, but Magnus is sure to respond.
Where is the tournament taking place?
The 2023 FIDE World Cup happens in Baku, Azerbaijan, the birth city of the famous chess legend GM Garry Kasparov.
The games will take place in the luxurious five-star Baku Marriott Hotel Boulevard hotel, overlooking the Caspian Sea.