Baku (Azerbaijan) | Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa held fancied American player Fabiano Caruana to a draw in the first game of the semifinals of the FIDE World Cup chess tournament here on Saturday.

The 17-year old Praggnanandhaa waged a gritty battle against the American to share the honours in 78 moves.

Having drawn Saturday's encounter with black pieces, the Indian GM now has the advantage of playing with white on Sunday.

Meanwhile, world no.1 Magnus Carlsen took a big step towards the final by beating local favorite Nijat Abasov in game 1 of the two-game classical series.

By becoming only the second Indian after legendary Vishwanathan Anand to reach the semifinals of the World Cup, Praggnanandhaa booked a spot in the Candidates event in 2024 to determine the challenger to Ding Liren.