Daijiworld Media Network – St Louis
St Louis, Aug 28: Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa created history on Thursday by becoming the first Indian to win the Grand Chess Tour after completing a stunning comeback against defending champion Fabiano Caruana in the final.
Praggnanandhaa began the final day six points behind Caruana at 3-9 after the Classical games and admitted that he had not expected to have much of a chance of winning the title.
The Indian turned the contest around by winning both Rapid games to take an 11-9 lead. Caruana fought back by winning the second Blitz game after the first ended in a draw, bringing the scores level at 12-12. Praggnanandhaa responded immediately by winning the third Blitz game to regain the advantage.
Needing only a draw in the final game, Praggnanandhaa secured the required result through a threefold repetition despite having a winning position. Across the six games between the two finalists, he recorded three wins, two draws and one loss.
The Grand Chess Tour title adds another major achievement to Praggnanandhaa's remarkable 2026 campaign. Earlier this year, he won Norway Chess, where he defeated five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen twice. He subsequently won the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz and shared first place in the Sinquefield Cup.
Praggnanandhaa credited his improvement in Rapid and Blitz for helping him succeed in the demanding format. He said winning the Grand Chess Tour was a significant achievement and described the title as being second only to the World Championship in terms of stature and tradition.
The 20-year-old Indian takes home USD 200,000 as the winner's prize and has also secured an automatic place on the 2027 Grand Chess Tour. He finished the 2026 circuit with USD 404,354 in prize money, including his victories in Saint Louis and his strong performance in the Sinquefield Cup.
After nearly a month of continuous competition in Saint Louis, Praggnanandhaa will now turn his attention to the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. He will represent India at the tournament from September 16 to 27 as the defending champions begin their title defence.