4 Reasons Why Chess Isn’t Cricket! Magnus Carlsen on Twitter after Losing to Praggnanandhaa

Magnus Carlsen took to social media to clarify that chess and cricket cannot be compared and listed four reasons for his view.

“4 reasons why chess isn’t cricket: Cricket is played on a field with humans, chess is played on a board with wooden pieces. Cricket has a bat and a ball, chess usually doesn’t. There are 22 players needed for a cricket match, while chess is only two. I can’t play cricket," Carlsen tweeted.

He was replying to a Twitter user’s statement that: “Chess is the new cricket. Prove me wrong!"

India’s Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa stunned the world champion in tiebreaks in the seventh and final round thus finishing runner-up in the FTX Crypto Cup, the second major on the Champions Chess Tour.

Starting the round two points behind the Norwegian Carlsen, the 17-year-old Pragg was looking down and out after losing the third of the four rapid games. But Carlsen, who was steering the fourth game to a draw, blundered in the endgame and the Indian capitalised on it to take the match into blitz tiebreaks.

In the four rapid games, Praggnanandhaa created a number of chances in the drawn first game, defended superbly in the second — another draw –, went down in a tense third encounter before capitalising on Carlsen’s mistake to win the fourth.

Reacting before the final rapid game, Carlsen said, “This game was very nervy, I think, for both of us. Today I haven’t been able to find a rhythm at all, but hopefully, I can relax a bit in the last game."

Carlsen did relax — but it barely mattered to him. In the fourth game, the champion looked to be steering the game to a draw but blundered in the endgame.

“I think Magnus just wanted to have more fun!" Pragg, who still had work to do to finish second, was quoted as saying in the release.

Carlsen would go on to congratulate Praggnanandhaa in a quirky little tweet in which he said, “Fully deserved, after a performance that showed great resilience, determination, and quality. As for me, I am happy to (barely) be younger than the second and third place finishers combined."

(With inputs from Agencies)

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