Praggnanandhaa showcases skills at Grand Chess Tour Finals exhibition in Sao Paulo

New Delhi: India Grand Master R Praggnanandhaa displayed his chess prowess at an exhibition ahead of the Grand Chess Tour 2025 Finals, which began on Sunday at the World Trade Center in Sao Paulo.

Praggnanandhaa earned his place in the Finals after finishing runner-up at the 2025 Sinquefield Cup. Sharing his experience on X, he said, “Had a great time at the alternative simultaneous exhibition here at Sao Paulo Grand Chess Tour! All the players joined in and played a few moves each. Indeed a fun and different experience over the board.”

In the semi-finals, Praggnanandhaa will face France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, while Fabiano Caruana of the USA takes on Levon Aronian, also from the USA. Praggnanandhaa and Caruana will play with the white pieces in the first Classical game, swapping colours in the Rapid and Blitz matches. Each semi-final includes two Classical, two Rapid, and four Blitz games.

Looking ahead to the event, Praggnanandhaa said, “It's going ot be an exciting event with all three formats... I have followed GCT Finals in the past, and it's going to be a challenge. I'm looking forward to it, as this is what I was hoping for at the start of the tour; to be here in Sao Paulo and fight for the top spot. The field is extremely strong as usual with the top three guys who are really experienced. I have played all three formats for lot of years....”

All matches will be played to full completion, with a maximum of 28 points per match, even if the outcome is already decided.

The opening ceremony saw legendary World Champion Garry Kasparov and Alexandre Fonseca, CEO of Superbet Brazil, make the ceremonial first moves on stage.