Five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen has revealed he suffered food poisoning following his semifinal clash at the ongoing FIDE Chess World Cup 2023 in Baku (Azerbaijan). Carlsen is aiming to win his maiden chess world cup with the first game of his final clash with India’s R Praggnanandhaa ending in a draw on Tuesday.
Speaking to FIDE after the match, Carlsen said having a rest day should have been advantageous for him but it wasn’t the case since he was in a rough shape following his win over Nijat Abasov.
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“Normally, I would just probably have a bit of an advantage having a rest day while he (Praggnanandhaa) had to play a tough tiebreak yesterday, but I’ve been in a pretty rough shape the last couple of days. I got some poisoning after the game against Abasov. I haven’t been able to eat for the last two days. This also meant that I was really calm cause I had no energy to be nervous,” Carlsen said.
Also Read: Historic Feat by Praggnanandhaa to Reach World Cup Final; Will Be Tested by Carlsen: Anand
Carlsen said he wasn’t expecting Praggnanandhaa to start with c4 and had to take some time before settling in.
“Pragg moves around a bit with his openings. I didn’t really know what to expect. I didn’t prepare for c4 (the first move played by Pragg). Then I started to play some common sense moves,” the Norwegian said.
The 18-year-old, playing with white pieces, produced a solid show against the current world No. 1 and agreed to a draw after 35 moves.
Praggnanandhaa entered the final by stunning world No.3 Fabiano Caruana 3.5-2.5 and became only the second Indian to reach the final of the world cup after the legendary Viswanathan Anand and qualified for the Candidates tournament in 2024.
The second game will be played today.
“It’ll be a fight. He’ll (Prag) definitely push very hard. I’ll try to rest and come fresh, I think that’s the best I can do,” Carlsen said.
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