St. Louis: Indian chess grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa clinched the Grand Chess Tour St. Louis Rapid and Blitz title after an impressive performance, securing the championship with a round to spare.

A draw against Javokhir Sindarov in their final head-to-head encounter was enough for Praggnanandhaa to seal the title. The 20-year-old finished the tournament with 23 points out of a possible 35.

Praggnanandhaa finishes ahead of elite rivals

Sindarov secured the second position with 22 points after mounting a strong challenge in the final stages of the tournament, while Wesley So finished third with 20.5 points.

Levon Aronian ended the competition in fourth place with 19 points, while Fabiano Caruana, Leinier Dominguez and Jorden van Foreest shared fifth place with 17 points each.

Praggnanandhaa’s victory earned him USD 50,000 in prize money along with 13 Grand Chess Tour points. The win also helped him move to second place in the overall Grand Chess Tour standings ahead of the upcoming Sinquefield Cup.

Indian GM maintained lead throughout tournament

Praggnanandhaa remained at the top of the leaderboard during the five-day competition. Although Sindarov produced a late surge to challenge for the title, the Indian grandmaster maintained his advantage and finished 1.5 points ahead.

The victory adds another milestone to Praggnanandhaa’s growing career. In June, he became the first Indian player to win the prestigious Norway Chess title, further strengthening his position among the world’s top chess players.

Five-day event featured world’s top grandmasters

The 2026 St. Louis Rapid & Blitz tournament featured 10 elite grandmasters competing at the Saint Louis Chess Club from July 31 to August 7.

The event included nine rapid rounds and 18 blitz rounds, with a total of 135 games played. The tournament was part of the Grand Chess Tour calendar, carrying important points ahead of the Sinquefield Cup and GCT Grand Finals.