FIDE World Cup Final: First game between Praggnanandhaa and Magnus Carlsen ends in draw 

The first game of the FIDE World Cup final between Magnus Carlsen and Praggnanandhaa ended in a draw after 35 moves. Carlsen will be playing white on August 23, 2023. Twitter/@FIDE_chess

The first game of the Federation Internationale des Echecs (FIDE) World Cup final between Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa and Norway’s World Number 1 Magnus Carlsen ended in a draw after 35 moves on August 22. 

Both Grandmasters will continue their play where Magnus will have white pieces in the second classical game on August 23. 

After defeating World No. 3 Fabiano Caruana in tiebreaks, Praggnanandhaa reached the final to set up a clash with Carlsen.

Each match comprises two traditional games employing a time control of 90 minutes for the initial 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes added after the 40 moves, and a supplementary 30-second increment starting from Move 1.

If a tie occurs, a playoff occurs on the third day of the round. The tiebreak procedure involves two rapid games with a time control of 25 minutes plus a 10-second increment per move. If further resolution is required, two ‘slow blitz’ games with a time control of 10 minutes plus 10 seconds increment per move follow.