New Delhi [India], August 22 : Former World Chess Champion and Russian chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov has congratulated Indian grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa who stormed into the final of the FIDE World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Praggnanandhaa defeated World No. 3 Fabiano Caruana to reach the final of the FIDE World Cup, and his mother was also present at the event to witness her son's triumph.
Kasparov called his mother's support "a special kind of support" and extended wishes to the Indian Grand Master for his exceptional performance.
"Congrats to @rpragchess —and to his mother. As someone whose proud mama accompanied me to every event, it's a special kind of support! The Chennai Indian defeated two New York cowboys! He has been very tenacious in difficult positions," Kasparov wrote in his tweet.
The Indian chess prodigy managed to beat the American player 3.5-2.5 after tiebreaks. He will face World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen for the title clash.
Earlier, Praggnanandhaa beat compatriot Arjun Erigaisi 5-4 in a sudden death tie-break to book a place for himself in the semifinals on Thursday. The 17-year-old Praggnanandhaa has already secured a spot in next year's Candidates event.
Praggnanandhaa created history by advancing to the final of the FIDE World Cup, his coach RB Ramesh expressed his immense pride in Praggnanandhaa's exceptional performance in the global tournament and said that he is optimistic about Prags chances in view of the openings strategies discussed.
"I am extremely proud that he has been doing phenomenally well in this World Cup and he qualified for the World Cup final. And what I hear is he is the youngest to do so. And also he is the only Indian to qualify for the final," coach Ramesh told ANI.
The final matches of the FIDE World Cup will begin on Tuesday.
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