R Praggnanandhaa seals Grand Chess Tour St Louid Rapid and Blitz title
New York, August 7
Indian grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa secured the Grand Chess Tour St Louis Rapid and Blitz title on Friday.
The 20-year-old drew against Javokhir Sindarov during the penultimate round to seal the tournament with a score of 23/35 points, finishing 1.5 points ahead of everyone else.
Posting on X, the official handle of ChessBase India wrote, "Its 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!"
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. The victory completed a remarkable late surge by the Indian star, who registered four consecutive classical wins to secure one of the biggest titles of his career.
Following this, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday felicitated the Indian Grandmaster and presented him with a cash reward of Rs 50 lakh on behalf of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu. The felicitation ceremony was held at the Chief Secretariat in Chennai, where the Chief Minister also played a game of chess with the 20-year-old Grandmaster.
— ANI
Reader Comments
What a star! At just 20 years old, he's already beating the best in the world. The future of Indian chess looks incredibly bright with players like Pragg, Gukesh, and Vidit leading the way. 🏆
Impressive consistency from Praggnanandhaa. Winning back-to-back major tournaments shows he's not just a flash in the pan. India should be very proud of this young talent.
The ChessBase India team staying up till 2 AM to celebrate this - that's dedication! 😄 Pragg is making Chennai proud. The CM's recognition with the ₹50 lakh reward is well deserved. More power to our young champion!
As someone who follows chess closely, I have to say Praggnanandhaa's rapid climb is remarkable. His endgame technique and composure under pressure are beyond his years. Brilliant performance in St. Louis!
So inspiring to see a young Indian making waves globally! But I do wish our media gave more coverage to chess - it's clearly producing champions. Pragg deserves all the recognition he's getting now. More power to him! 🌟
What a remarkable achievement at such a young age! His
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