Praggnanandhaa captured the imagination of a billion-plus people as he stormed in the final of the 2023 Chess World Cup. He fought valiantly till the end but ultimately lost to the great Magnus Carlsen in the final.
Praggnanandhaa had drawn the first two classical games, but in the tie-breaker Carlsen was the more dominant player.
However, Praggnanandhaa can keep his chin up as he beat higher-ranked opponents – world no. 2 Hikaru Nakamura and no. 3 Fabiano Caruana – to become the second Indian after the great Viswanathan Anand to enter the Chess World Cup final. By winning the silver medal, Praggnanandhaa also secured a ticket to the FIDE Candidates tournament.