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By Ishaan Kapoor — 5 August 2026 — 3 min read

R. Praggnanandhaa concluded the rapid section of the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz in first place, accumulating 12 points over the initial three days. Despite a loss to Jorden van Foreest in the ninth and final rapid round, he maintained a one-point lead over Javokhir Sindarov. Wesley So finished a further point behind.

The Indian grandmaster delivered a strong performance during the rapid phase, achieving four wins, four draws, and one defeat. This performance also propelled him into the top ten of the live rapid world rankings for the first time in his career. The scoring system for the upcoming blitz section will differ, with victories being worth one point instead of two in a double round-robin format.

Tournament Highlights and Key Matches

Several players achieved their first victories of the tournament in round seven. Fabiano Caruana defeated Awonder Liang by focusing on the vulnerable e5-pawn, which brought the world number-two back to an even score. Vincent Keymer also ended a sequence of six consecutive draws by beating Van Foreest. Their game concluded with a blunder from the Dutch grandmaster in the endgame. Keymer’s win temporarily placed him within two points of the leader, though both he and Caruana experienced defeats in the subsequent round.

Round eight featured three decisive games. Praggnanandhaa overcame Keymer in a complex match involving connected passed pawns for both players. Although the tournament leader held an extra exchange, the position became increasingly unclear, and Keymer had defensive opportunities before ultimately losing. Sindarov remained close to the lead by defeating Liang, exploiting a collection of isolated pawns after Black weakened the kingside structure. Liang attempted to alleviate pressure by giving up his h-pawn, but his remaining pawns continued to be targets. So also stayed near the top with a victory over Caruana.

In the ninth and final round, only one game was decisive. Van Foreest defeated Praggnanandhaa, the tournament leader, using a prepared idea in the French Defence. This marked Praggnanandhaa’s first loss of the tournament. Earlier in the rapid section, Van Foreest had also beaten So, though he finished significantly behind the leading group. Caruana missed an opportunity to defeat Anish Giri in the final round, resulting in a draw. Giri and Leinier Dominguez completed all nine rapid games without a decisive result, each recording nine draws.

Praggnanandhaa’s Ascent and Tournament Structure

Praggnanandhaa’s strong showing has elevated his live Rapid rating to a career-high of 2714.5. This achievement places him in the World Top 10 in FIDE Live Rapid Ratings for the first time. With this, India now has three Grandmasters in the Rapid Top 10, alongside Viswanathan Anand and Arjun Erigaisi. On Day 1, Praggnanandhaa began with a draw against Leinier Dominguez before securing wins against Levon Aronian and Fabiano Caruana. Day 2 saw him draw with Javokhir Sindarov and Wesley So, and defeat Awonder Liang.

The Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz is part of the Grand Chess Tour, taking place at the Saint Louis Chess Club from July 31 to August 7. The event features ten elite grandmasters, including Fabiano Caruana, Javokhir Sindarov, Vincent Keymer, Wesley So, Anish Giri, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, and Jorden van Foreest as full-tour competitors. Wildcards include Leinier Dominguez, Levon Aronian, and Awonder Liang. The tournament consists of nine rapid rounds and eighteen blitz rounds, totaling 135 games. Rapid wins contribute two points, while draws add one point. In the blitz section, wins are worth one point and draws half a point. The total prize fund for the event is $200,000, with $50,000 allocated for first place. Praggnanandhaa enters the blitz portion with a narrow lead, with Sindarov and So remaining within immediate reach.

Source: en.chessbase.com