R Praggnanandhaa Triumphs at Grand Chess Tour St. Louis Rapid and Blitz

Grandmaster's Remarkable Victory

Indian chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa clinched the Grand Chess Tour St. Louis Rapid and Blitz title on Friday. The 20-year-old secured his victory by drawing against Javokhir Sindarov in the second-to-last round, finishing the tournament with an impressive score of 23 out of 35 points, leading the competition by 1.5 points.

In a post on X, ChessBase India's official account announced, "It's 2:16 AM in India, and we have exciting news from the USA. R. Praggnanandhaa has emerged as the Champion of the Grand Chess Tour St. Louis Rapid and Blitz with a round to spare! After drawing with Javokhir Sindarov, he sealed the tournament victory with a score of 23/35 points, finishing 1.5 points ahead of the rest! Congratulations to Praggnanandhaa and his team on this incredible achievement—this marks his first win in a Rapid and Blitz tournament!"

Previous Achievements and Recognition

In June, Praggnanandhaa made headlines by winning the Norway Chess 2026 title in Oslo, defeating Germany's Vincent Keymer in the final round. This victory was part of a remarkable comeback, where he achieved four consecutive classical wins, earning one of the most prestigious titles of his career.

Following his recent success, Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay honored the Grandmaster with a cash prize of Rs 50 lakh, presented by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu. The ceremony took place at the Chief Secretariat in Chennai, where the Chief Minister also engaged in a friendly chess match with the young champion.