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

R Praggnanandhaa Claims Victory in St. Louis

New York [US], August 7: 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.

ChessBase India shared the news on X, stating, “It’s 2:16 AM in India right now, and we have huge news coming in from the USA. R. Praggnanandhaa is the Champion of Grand Chess Tour St. Louis Rapid and Blitz with a round to spare! Praggnanandhaa drew against Javokhir Sindarov in the penultimate round to seal the tournament win with a score of 23/35 points – 1.5 points ahead of the field! Big congratulations to Praggnanandhaa and his team on this amazing victory – this is the first Rapid and Blitz tournament which Pragg has won!”

It’s 2:16 AM in India right now, and we have huge news coming in from the USA. R. Praggnanandhaa is the Champion of Grand Chess Tour St. Louis Rapid and Blitz with a round to spare!

Praggnanandhaa drew against Javokhir Sindarov in the penultimate round to seal the tournament win… pic.twitter.com/R3J0Y5UvZG

— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) August 6, 2026

Earlier this June, Praggnanandhaa made headlines by winning the Norway Chess 2026 title in Oslo, where he triumphed over Germany's Vincent Keymer in the final round. This victory marked a significant achievement for the young talent, who completed a remarkable comeback with four consecutive classical wins.

In recognition of his accomplishments, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay honored the Grandmaster on Monday, presenting him with a cash prize of Rs 50 lakh on behalf of 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 chess match with the 20-year-old.