Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa Wins Maiden St. Louis Rapid & Blitz Title In US

“R Praggnanandhaa played tremendous chess at Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz to win the tournament with a round to spare. On the final day, Praggnanandhaa scored 3 wins and won the tournament with a draw against Javokhir Sindarov in the penultimate round. This is Pragg’s 1st Grand Chess Tour Rapid & Blitz Title. Pragg drew his final game against Levon Aronian to finish with 23.5/36 points. En route to his victory, Pragg lost only 2 of the 27 games he played, including both Rapid & Blitz. Photos: Lennart Ootes.”

Indian grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa has clinched the Grand Chess Tour St. Louis Rapid and Blitz title in the United States. The 20-year-old secured the championship after drawing against Uzbekistan’s Grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov in the penultimate round, finishing the tournament with 23 points out of a possible 35.

Praggnanandhaa maintained the lead throughout the five-day event, with Sindarov mounted a strong challenge in the final stages but fell short, finishing runner-up with a 1.5-point deficit. Earlier in June, Praggnanandhaa scripted history by claiming the Norway Chess 2026 crown in Oslo after defeating Germany’s Vincent Keymer in the tenth and final round.