Oslo Esports Cup: Rameshbabu Praggnanandha, Carlsen to fight for title in final round

OSLO: Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa will fight it out with World N.o 1 Magnus Carlsen for the Oslo Esports Cup title after losing his penultimate round match in the rapid chess tournament on Wednesday night

Three points ahead going into the penultimate round of the $210,000 event, thev16-year-old Pragg suffered a painful defeat against Poland's World Cup winner Jan-Krzysztof Duda.

It handed world Champion Carlsen a golden opportunity to go level on points with the youngster and overtake him on the leaderboard due to their head-to-head score.

Carlsen, as always, grabbed the opportunity with both hands by thrashing the lowest-ranked player in the field, Canad's Eric Hansen. The Norwegian is now hot favourite to win the first Major of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour season.

Duda also isn't out of it, as he sits just one point behind on the leaderboard. However, the Pole needs a 3-point win against Hansen and defeats for both Carlsen and Pragg. Carlsen, meanwhile, faces the dangerous Shakhriyar Mamedyarov in Round 7 while Pragg is up against Anish Giri. IANS

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