Archive · 7 Aug 2026
Praggnanandhaa's St Louis Triumph Ends Rapid and Blitz Drought
R Praggnanandhaa is a chess player from India.
He just won a big chess tournament called the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz.
In rapid and blitz chess, players have to think much faster than in normal chess.
Praggnanandhaa said this was the best fast-chess performance he has ever shown.
He took the lead on the first day and stayed ahead until the end.
He won the event with one round still left to play.
He earned $50,000 and 13 Grand Chess Tour points.
The win put him second in the Grand Chess Tour standings.
Next, he plays the Sinquefield Cup before helping India defend its Chess Olympiad gold in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
R Praggnanandhaa won the Grand Chess Tour's Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz event, calling it the best Rapid and Blitz performance he has shown.
He seized the lead on Day 1 and never let it slip, holding off Javokhir Sindarov and Wesley So and winning with a round to spare.
The title earned him $50,000 (approx. ₹47.5 lakh) and 13 Grand Chess Tour points as the sole leader.
The win lifted him to second in the GCT standings, just half a point behind Fabiano Caruana.
His strong form arrives as India prepares to defend its Chess Olympiad gold in Samarkand, with world champion D. Gukesh in a form slump.
- Who
- R Praggnanandhaa, the Indian Grandmaster, whose closest challengers were Javokhir Sindarov and Wesley So.
- What
- Won the Grand Chess Tour's Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz event, his first strong title in the faster chess formats.
- When
- Friday, having held the lead since Day 1 of the event.
- Where
- Saint Louis, at the Grand Chess Tour's Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz.
- Why
- To finally win a strong Rapid and Blitz event, which he admitted he had never done before, and to strengthen his bid for a spot in the Grand Chess Tour finals.
- Event
- Grand Chess Tour - Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz
- Winner
- R Praggnanandhaa (India)
- Prize money
- $50,000 (approx. ₹47.5 lakh)
- GCT points earned
- 13
- GCT standings
- 2nd, half a point behind Fabiano Caruana
- Margin of victory
- Won with a round to spare; 1.5-point lead over Sindarov after the penultimate day
- Next event
- Sinquefield Cup, the last Classical stop before the Olympiad
- Upcoming Olympiad
- Samarkand, Uzbekistan; India defends its gold against hosts Uzbekistan, the USA and China