R Praggnanandhaa will be carrying the hopes of a billion in the final of the Chess World Cup against world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. The final will be a two-game affair with the first game being played on Tuesday, while the second game being played on Wednesday. If there is no winner at the end of the two games, then the final will proceed to the tie-breakers. Wednesday is also the day when India's moon mission - Chandrayaan 3 - is expected to land. Chess legend talked to NDTV ahead of Praggnanandhaa's final and said it would be momentous if the Indian 18-year-old wins the global event when Chandrayaan 3 lands on the moon.
"He is going to play Magnus Carlsen. Just so much happening. Personally D Gukesh crossed me the ratings in 37 years. R Praggnanandhaa then becomes the first Indian to reach the semi-final and final. It's a two game match, So, he will play today and tomorrow. Tomorrow, he could be the first Indian to win a World Cup after I did. So, which is weird. And if he does it tomorrow around the time Chandrayaan lands on the moon, it will be too much," Anand told NDTV.
"Anyways, Carlsen has never won a knockout. So, he will be extremely motivated. The more the excitement, the better."
Carlsen and Praggnanandhaa have faced each other a total of 19 times across various competitions with the World No. 1 enjoying the slightest of edges. In classical chess, they have played one game against each other and it ended in a draw. In Rapid/Exhibition games, Carlsen holds a 7-5 win advantage with six games finishing in a draw. As a result, it will not be unwise to say that the more experienced player holds the edge but it is the recent results that will give Praggnanandhaa hope.