Praggnanandhaa-Carlsen Game 2 Drawn in the Chess World Cup 2023: The Final Moves to Tie-Breakers

After over one hour of intense competition, R Praggnanandhaa and world No.1 Magnus Carlsen drew the second game of the Chess World Cup Final. From the very first move, it was visible that Carlsen was playing for a draw. It was his clear intention to take the game to the tie-breakers on Thursday. Even Indian chess legend predicted earlier that Carlsen was going for a draw. Commentators said that Carlsen's tactic was due to the reason that he had been suffering from food poisoning. It could be the reason for him to carry the match on the third day to gain maximum fitness and concentration. Both Grandmasters are eyeing their maiden World Cup title.

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Chess World Cup 2023 Final: Praggnanandhaa-Carlsen Game 2

Carlsen was low on energy on Tuesday due to the illness. There were some aggressive moves during the 30-move Game 2. The queens came off and rooks were sacrificed toward the end. In the tie-breaker, the two players will play two games in a rapid format with a time control of 10 minutes for each player and a 10-second increment for each move.

If a winner is still not decided, two more rapid games will be played with a time control of 5 minutes and a 3-second increment of each move. If the score is still a draw, then the final will be played in a sudden-death mode.

"Yeah, in a way (easy day). I guess we both were okay with a draw. We move on to the tie-breaks. When he took on D4 very early, I knew at that moment that it was going to be easy. It was supposed to be nothing for white. It had all the making of a draw," Praaggnanandhaa told FIDE after the second game.