# Praggnanandhaa tops St Louis Rapid, blitz stage next 2026-08-05T23:13:57+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa finished first in the rapid section of the St Louis Rapid and Blitz, scoring 12 points from nine rounds with four wins and four draws, The Hindu reported. He lost only the final round, to Dutch Grandmaster Jorden van Foreest, but held on to a one-point lead over Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov, who finished second and is set to challenge D. Gukesh for the World Championship title later this year. The event now moves into an 18-game blitz stage, in which each win is worth one point, before the overall winner of the $200,000 prize fund is decided, the champion takes $50,000. The Sinquefield Cup, a classical event, follows the blitz stage. The result keeps alive Praggnanandhaa's chances of a place in the Grand Chess Tour finals later this year. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The Hindu's report is a straight account of the rapid-section standings and carries no independent framing beyond the tournament's own scoring. Praggnanandhaa's one-point cushion over Sindarov matters only going into blitz, where the scoring changes to one point per win across 18 games, so the lead reported here is not the final word on the tournament or on his Grand Chess Tour finals prospects. Watch the blitz-stage results, due before the Sinquefield Cup classical event begins. ## Coverage - www.thehindu.com Tags: Grand Chess Tour, R Praggnanandhaa Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/praggnanandhaa-leads-after-rapid-phase-at-st-louis-blitz-next/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/praggnanandhaa-leads-after-rapid-phase-at-st-louis-blitz-next/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.