Food poisoning took a toll on my game, reveals Magnus Carlsen

Carlsen and Indian prodigy R Praggnanandhaa played to a draw in the first classical chess game after 35 moves.

Baku: World No.1 Chess player Magnus Carlsen has revealed that he had been suffering from food poisoning after his semifinal victory against Azerbaijan’s Nijat Abasov which eventually affected his preparation for the final of the FIDE Chess World Cup against Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa.

Carlsen drew the first game of classical chess after 35 moves with the Indian prodigy R Praggnanandhaa.

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The two players will now return on Wednesday for the second classical chess game. If this game ends in a tie the players move to two games of Rapid Chess to decide the winner of this years Chess World Cup final being played at Baku, Azerbaijan.

Praggnanandhaa started on a strong note with white pieces and enjoyed a time advantage over the Norwegian in the initial phase. Carlsen managed to bounce back against a player who seemed to be well-versed with the lines and moves the Norwegian was going to opt for.

After the game, while speaking to the FIDE YouTube channel Carlsen said that his preparation for the final was hindered due to food poisoning.

“Normally, I would just probably have a bit of an advantage having a rest day while he had to play a tough tiebreak yesterday, but I’ve been in a pretty rough shape the last couple of days. I got some food 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,. I am happy with the way that I solved the problem in the opening so the result is fine,” Carlsen said.

He also went on to laud the 18-year-old Indian grandmaster and explained why he was taking more time initially in the game.

“Pragg moves around a bit with his openings. I didn’t really know what to expect. I didn’t prepare for c4. Then I started to play some common sense moves,” Carlsen added.

Carlsen who is a five-time world champion will be looking to clinch the Match in the second classical chess game and mark his first ever World Cup title.