New Delhi: R. Praggnanandhaa scripted history by becoming the first Indian chess player to win the Grand Chess Tour title, defeating American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana 15-13 in the final of the Grand Chess Tour Finale in St Louis, United States.
The 21-year-old Chennai player produced an impressive comeback after suffering a heavy setback in the classical segment of the title clash. Praggnanandhaa lost the classical games 3-9, but turned the contest around with a dominant display in rapid chess, winning the section 8-0.
With the match evenly poised heading into the blitz games, Praggnanandhaa held Caruana to a 4-4 draw in the final segment to seal the title by a two-point margin.
The Grand Chess Tour Finale tests players across classical, rapid and blitz formats. In classical chess, a win is worth six points and a draw earns three points. Rapid games carry four points for a win and two for a draw, while blitz victories are worth two points and draws fetch one point.
Praggnanandhaa earned $200,000, approximately Rs 1.90 crore, for winning the title. Caruana received $125,000 as runner-up.
American Grandmaster Wesley So finished third after defeating Germany’s Vincent Keymer in the playoff. So took home $75,000, while Keymer received $50,000 for finishing fourth.
Praggnanandhaa had booked his place in the final with a convincing 19-9 victory over Keymer in the semifinal. Caruana reached the title contest after beating So 18-12 in the other last-four encounter.
The Indian Grandmaster had entered the four-player knockout finale as the top seed after finishing first in the 2026 Grand Chess Tour regular season. Wesley So was seeded second, Caruana third and Keymer fourth.
The Grand Chess Tour season-ending event was held at the Saint Louis Chess Club from August 21 to 28. The top three finishers — Praggnanandhaa, Caruana and So — secured invitations for the 2027 Grand Chess Tour.
Praggnanandhaa, who became a Grandmaster at the age of 13 in 2018, currently has a classical rating of 2750 and is ranked 12th in the August 2026 FIDE classical rankings.
(Inputs from IANS)