Praggnanandhaa vs Carlsen Final: Chess World Cup 2023 tie-break format explained

Chess World Cup 2023 Final: Praggnanandhaa vs Carlsen tie-break format explained, road to final and tie-break result.

Praggnanandhaa and Magnus drew both classical games to take the final into the tie-breaks. | Photo Credit: FIDE

Indian grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa and World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen are scheduled to engage in a series of tie-break matches to determine the winner of the FIDE Chess World Cup 2023 on Thursday in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The final moved to tie-breaks after both players drew their two classical matches.

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The tie-break format involves multiple stages:

First Tiebreak Stage

The tiebreaks will kick off with two rapid games, where each player has 25 minutes for the game plus an additional 10-second increment per move. If the overall score remains tied at 1-1 after these rapid games, the match proceeds to the next tiebreak stage.

Second Tiebreak Stage: 

This tiebreak consists of two rapid games played with a time control of 10 minutes plus a 10-second increment (10+10 time control). Should there be no decisive result at this point, the match proceeds to the next stage.

Third Tiebreak Stage: 

In this stage, a two-game blitz series is played. Each player is given five minutes on the clock, with an additional three seconds added after each move. If there’s still no decisive outcome, the tiebreak progresses to the last stage.

Sudden Death Blitz Match

In this stage, a sudden-death blitz match takes place. The time control for each game is three minutes with a two-second increment (3+2 time control). A drawing of lots will determine which player plays white. If drawn, the players will switch colours and play again, until a decisive result is obtained.

This comprehensive tiebreak structure continues until a winner emerges. The progression from longer time controls to shorter and more intense formats ensures the match reaches its conclusion, even if it requires a sudden-death blitz game to achieve that outcome.

TIEBREAK FORMAT

Tiebreak 1 - 25+10 - 2 games (rapid)

Tiebreak 2 - 10+10 - 2 games (rapid)

Tiebreak 3 - 5+3 - 2 games (blitz)

Tiebreak 4 - Sudden death - 3+2 (blitz)

PRAGGNANANDHAA ROAD TO FINAL

Round 1: Bye

Round 2: Beat Lagarde Maxime 1.5-0.5

Round 3: Beat David Navara 1.5-0.5

Round 4: Beat Hikaru Nakamura 3-1 (tie-breaks)

Round 5 : Beat Ferenc Berkes 1.5-0.5

Round 6: Beat Arjun Erigaisi 5-4 (tie-breaks)

Round 7: Beat Fabiano Caruana 3.5-2.5 (tie-breaks)

CARLSEN ROAD TO FINAL

Round 1: Bye

Round 2: Beat Levan Pantsulaia 2-0

Round 3: Beat Aryan Tari 1.5-0.5

Round 4: Beat Vincent Keymar 3.5-2.5 (tie-breaks)

Round 5: Beat Vasyl Ivanchuk 2-0

Round 6: Beat D. Gukesh 1.5-0.5

Round 7: Beat Nijat Abasov 1.5-0.5