5 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Aug 28, 2026 11:08 PM IST
R Praggnanandhaa has always had a spark of brilliance. On Friday, the 21-year-old vindicated his position as one of the world’s finest all-round chess players after becoming the first Indian to win the prestigious Grand Chess Tour title in St Louis, in the United States.
Praggnanandhaa mounted a remarkable comeback to defeat defending champion Fabiano Caruana 15-13 in the final, taking home a hefty $200,000 prize and securing a guaranteed spot in next year’s tour.
The Grand Chess Tour is an elite circuit spanning Classical, Rapid and Blitz events with the world’s best players and a total prize pool of $2 million. After five gruelling tournaments, which include two Classical and three Rapid and Blitz events, the top four players qualify for the GCT finals, a knockout event where the year’s best compete for the title.
ALSO READ | What the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz triumph means to Praggnanandhaa
The tour is a test of endurance, skill and patience, demanding consistent performance across formats.
The GCT title means a lot to the Grandmaster from Chennai, so much so that he called it second only to the World Championship. “Winning this is certainly second only to the World Championship, given the tradition and the stature of the event. The World Championship is obviously at the top, and the Grand Chess Tour is right up there as well, so winning this is amazing. The format is also incredibly tough. You have to prove yourself not just in Classical but also in Rapid and Blitz. I am happy I was able to do it here,” he said.
The title is a shot in the arm for Praggnanandhaa, who missed out on winning the Candidates — a tournament held to determine the challenger to the world champion, who is India’s D Gukesh. His sister, R Vaishali, also a grandmaster, won the women’s candidates and will take on world champion Ju Wenjun of China.
Congratulations to Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, the winner of the 2026 Grand Chess Tour, which comes with $200,000!
He started the day six points behind, but unseated the reigning GCT champion! pic.twitter.com/IhV4fYxx9O
— chess24 (@chess24com) August 27, 2026
In the summit clash against Caruana, Praggnanandhaa headed into the final day with a six-point deficit, trailing 3-9 after the Classical leg, having lost the opening game and drawn the second. He turned the tide in the Rapid leg, winning both games to earn eight points and take an 11-9 lead into the final Blitz leg.
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In the first Blitz game, Praggnanandhaa had winning chances but blundered in a time scramble. The position turned worse, but even Caruana failed to capitalise, and the game ended in a draw. Caruana, the 2018 World Championship challenger and the man with the third-highest Elo rating in history (2844), struck back immediately, winning the second Blitz clash to level the score at 12-12.
The Indian wasted no time in regaining his lead, beating Caruana with the white pieces for his third win of the day. Heading into the final game, Praggnanandhaa held a 14-12 lead and needed only a draw to seal the title. He did exactly that, forcing a threefold repetition in a completely winning position to dethrone Caruana.
Praggnanandhaa and his coach, grandmaster Vaibhav Suri, arrive at Oslo’s Deichman Bjørvika for the round 3 clash with Magnus Carlsen. (Photo: Michal Walusza/Norway Chess)
So what changed from last year to this year? “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,” Praggnanandhaa said.
His full-time travelling partner and trainer, Grandmaster Vaibhav Suri, revealed that the conversation around Praggnanandhaa’s shorter format games had been ongoing for nearly a year. The pair consciously worked on the shortcomings.
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“There was very clear evidence to us that Pragg’s results were trailing in shorter formats. There was one very clear area where he wasn’t able to score as many wins and wasn’t able to have as good performances as he was having in Classical events,” Suri told The Indian Express.
Suri said that since the frequency of Rapid and Blitz events was low and 2026 being a Candidates year, Praggnanandhaa’s natural focus was on the Classical format. However, shorter time formats always remained an area of improvement.
Praggnanandhaa celebrates with the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz trophy. (Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz 2026)
“We knew that this is an area where we have to clearly improve. And we have been making small little steps in this area in terms of deciding opening directions, where Pragg may be able to feel a little easier, play a little faster… positions that he’d be able to put some pressure on his opponents,” Suri said.
While hopes were high at the 2026 Candidates for a potential all-India World Championship final clash against compatriot D Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa had a cold outing in Cyprus in his second Candidates appearance. However, he stepped up after that disappointment, embarking on a magical run that saw him become the first Indian to win the Norway Chess title, beating Magnus Carlsen twice in the same event.
