Praggnanandhaa Makes History As First Indian To Win Grand Chess Tour

R Praggnanandhaa scripted history on Thursday by becoming the first Indian to win the Grand Chess Tour, completing a stunning comeback against defending champion Fabiano Caruana in the final in Saint Louis.

The Chennai Grandmaster began the final day six points behind Caruana after the Classical games, trailing 3-9. Despite the deficit, Praggnanandhaa turned the contest around with a series of crucial wins in the Rapid and Blitz games.

Praggnanandhaa Completes Six-Point Comeback

Praggnanandhaa won both Rapid games against Caruana to take an 11-9 lead.

Caruana responded in the Blitz section, winning the second Blitz game after the first ended in a draw. That brought the overall score level at 12-12.

Praggnanandhaa then immediately regained the advantage by winning the third Blitz game.

Needing only a draw in the final encounter, the Indian secured the required result through a threefold repetition despite having a winning position.

Across the six games between the finalists, Praggnanandhaa won three, drew two and lost one.

“Honestly, I didn’t think I had much of a chance today. A six-point deficit is a lot. You basically need to do what I did,” Praggnanandhaa said after completing the comeback.

Rapid And Blitz Improvement Proves Decisive

Praggnanandhaa credited his improved performances in the faster formats for helping him overturn the deficit.

“It’s not every day you can get one win against Fabi, but to get two that was crucial in the Rapid,” he said.

“Mainly, what changed from last year is my Rapid and Blitz game. It’s much better now, I think, and that’s a massive improvement in this format.”

A Remarkable 2026 Campaign

The Grand Chess Tour title adds another major achievement to Praggnanandhaa’s 2026 campaign.

Earlier this year, he had a disappointing second appearance at the Candidates, but bounced back by winning Norway Chess, where he defeated Magnus Carlsen twice.

He then won the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz title before sharing first place in the Sinquefield Cup.

Reflecting on the latest achievement, Praggnanandhaa said winning the Candidates would have been nice, but described the Grand Chess Tour victory as a major accomplishment.

“You have to show a lot of character to come out on top in such an event, and I’m happy that I managed to do that and fight till the very end,” he said.

Grand Chess Tour Title Adds $200,000 Prize

Praggnanandhaa leaves Saint Louis with the $200,000 winner’s prize and a guaranteed place on the 2027 Grand Chess Tour.

He also finished the 2026 circuit with $404,354 in prize money, following his victories in Saint Louis and his strong showing in the Sinquefield Cup.

Praggnanandhaa described the Grand Chess Tour as one of the most significant titles of his career, placing it just behind the World Championship in terms of stature and tradition.

Next Challenge: Chess Olympiad

After almost a month of continuous chess in Saint Louis, Praggnanandhaa’s next assignment will come with the Indian team at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

The tournament will be held from September 16 to 27, with India entering the event as defending champions and beginning their title defence.