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Praggnanandhaa wins Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz with round to spare
Indian grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa won the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz title with a round to spare, finishing on 23.5 points according to The Hindu (Assam Tribune reports 23 points). The 20-year-old…
The Story in Brief
Indian grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa won the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz title with a round to spare, finishing on 23.5 points according to The Hindu (Assam Tribune reports 23 points). The 20-year-old beat a field that included three of the world's top five players, Fabiano Caruana, Javokhir Sindarov, and Vincent Keymer. Sindarov took second place with 22 points, while Wesley So finished third. Praggnanandhaa earned $50,000 and jumped to second in the Grand Chess Tour standings, behind Caruana. He will now play the Sinquefield Cup, a classical event starting August 10. His sister Vaishali, who will compete in the Cairns Cup, accompanied him during the tournament.
The Indian Opinion
Some will call this a smooth cruise, but Praggnanandhaa himself admitted it was crazy. Others might dismiss the win as a rapid-blitz speciality, forgetting his Norway Chess classical victory over Magnus Carlsen. The narrative that Firouzja's withdrawal handed him an advantage ignores that Pragg led from start to finish. The real test? The Sinquefield Cup starting Sunday. Can he convert his momentum into classical success against the same elite field?
Sources (3): hindustantimes.com, assamtribune.com, thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
