Veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin offered the perfect riposte to Shikhar Dhawan's tweet regarding Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa's drawn result against Magnus Carlsen on Wednesday (August 23rd) in the 2023 Chess World Cup. With Dhawan lauding the 18-year-old Indian player for drawing against the World No. 1 despite taking black, Ashwin tweeted that 'Black is the new white'.
The second round of the FIDE World Cup 2023 final between Indian chess prodigy Praggnanandhaa and Norwegian GM Magnus Carlsen ended in a tie on Wednesday in Baku, Azerbaijan. After a 30-move game in which Prag was on the black pieces, the match concluded honorably equal. The tie-breaker, on Thursday, will decide the title winner.
Taking to his official Twitter, Dhawan tweeted optimistically that the 18-year-old will win the final round game.
#Praggnanandhaa is such a joy to watch, drawing with black pieces is amazing feat & against #MagnusCarlsen. There is no separating R. Praggnanandhaa and Magnus Carlsen. I will be rooting for him for tomorrow's final round game. Congratulations champion! Tomorrow for sure your day."
Ashwin had one of the most perfect responses for that, saying: 'Black is the new white buddy."
"I didn't expect to play Magnus in this tournament" - Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa
Following the semi-final win, here's what Praggnanandhaa had to say ahead of facing Magnus Carlsen in the final.
"I didn't expect to play Magnus in this tournament at all because the only way I could play him was in the final, and I didn't expect to be in the final… I will just try to give my best and see how it goes!"
The pair have faced one another 19 times, but it's the first time they are facing one another in World Cups.
