Chess Legend Magnus Carlsen Trumped By Indian Teen Again At FTX Crypto Cup

A 17-year-old Indian Grandmaster defeated the world champion, Magnus Carlsen, at the FTX Crypto Cup– the third time in just six months. 

What Happened: Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu stood victorious against the reigning five-time World Chess Champion Carlsen at the American finale of the Champions Chess Tour in Miami.

The young Indian Grandmaster, however, could only take second place in the final standings despite the win over Carlsen. The Norwegian chess grandmaster won the top prize based on a high score.

Carlsen finished with 16 match points compared to the Indian prodigy's tally of 15 in the competition organized by Play Magnus Group and cryptocurrency exchange FTX. Led by billionaire entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX rose to prominence last year amid the crypto rally that saw Bitcoin BTC/USD and Ethereum ETH/USD hit all-time highs.

Carlsen had a sense of disbelief on his face when Praggnanandhaa defeated him in the blitz tiebreak after the score was tied 2-2 at the end of the regulation game, according to The Indian Express.

The Norwegian Champion was on the verge of winning the game, but he blunders against his Indian counterpart just when he was on the brink of forcing Armageddon.

Not the ending Magnus Carlsen would have wanted, as he blunders against Praggnanandhaa just when he was on the verge of forcing Armageddon! https://t.co/IbzJPYmpjn #ChessChamps #FTXCryptoCup pic.twitter.com/RYjbaO4WMZ

— chess24.com (@chess24com) August 21, 2022

The development came months after Praggnanandhaa, in February, won praise for stunning world Carlsen in an online championship. He had beaten Carlsen at the Airthings Masters rapid chess tournament.

It's a done deal- Praggnanandhaa wins 3 games in a row and defeats Magnus Carlsen in the blitz playoffs! The boy has created history, and he finishes second in the @ChampChessTour FTX Crypto Cup. pic.twitter.com/KsWzw1TqGo

— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) August 21, 2022

Praggnanandhaa, in 2016, also became the youngest international master in history at the age of 10.

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