NEW DELHI: The Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, took the opportunity on Tuesday to offer his warm congratulations to Grandmaster (GM) Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa for his remarkable achievement in securing a place in the final of the FIDE Chess World Cup.

Praggnanandhaa secured victory over the world's third-ranked American GM, Fabiano Caruana, with a score of 3.5-2.5 during the semifinal tie-break matches held in Baku, Azerbaijan. As a result of this triumph, he is now set to engage in a fierce competition against the world's top-ranked player and former world champion, Magnus Carlsen, in the pursuit of the championship title.
At the age of 18, Praggnanandhaa's exceptional performance in advancing to the finals of the Chess World Cup has significantly enhanced the reputation of our nation. We take immense pride in this extraordinary accomplishment. Kejriwal conveyed his heartfelt congratulations, acknowledging the impressive display of skill and talent by someone so young, via X (previously known as Twitter).

With victories over the second and third world-ranked players already under his belt, the question circulating within the chess community is whether Praggnanandhaa can emerge victorious against the world's number one player.

Furthermore, this victory has secured Praggnanandhaa's spot in the Candidates Tournament, where the eventual winner will earn the right to challenge the reigning world champion, Chinese GM Liren Ding.

According to the regulations of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the top three players from the World Cup are granted entry to the Candidates Tournament.
For Praggnanandhaa, the act of toppling giants is not unfamiliar in this tournament. He had previously achieved victories over players with considerably higher ratings, including US GM Hikaru Nakamura, who holds the second rank in the world by rating.

Chess prodigy Praggnanandhaa stuns Fabiano Caruana, meets Carlsen in final