Praggnanandhaa won the Rapid & Blitz in St. Louis (August 2–6), leading the field by 1.5 points with a round to spare — his first Grand Chess Tour speed title.
Saint Louis in August is a week of rapid and blitz in America's most playable hall: the Maryland Avenue club gathers ten grandmasters for a double round-robin across the speed disciplines, and the live audience sees everything from quiet positional draws to blunders in thirty-move blitz. Praggnanandhaa handled the distance the way champions do: pulling clear with two rounds to spare, he allowed himself to play the closing day calmly, without risk.
The Indian's statistics are a story of their own: he lost not a single rapid game, and his blitz run included a stretch of six consecutive wins when opponents could not match the tempo. Sindarov, finishing second, ended one and a half points behind — even though the Uzbek was considered the favourite precisely in blitz. In the combined GCT table the win lifted Pragg to the top of the season's speed standings.
American commentators spoke afterwards of a paradigm shift: five years ago the Saint Louis rapid-and-blitz legs were won by Carlsen, So and Nakamura — the dominance of the American school. Today the trophies go to Indians and Uzbeks, and the broadcast audience has shifted: the largest viewer geography is now India, not the US. The club is responding to demand: next season it promises viewing parties in Delhi and Mumbai.
Place — Player — Score
| 1 | Praggnanandhaa (India) | +1.5 |
| 2 | Sindarov (Uzbekistan) | — |
What's next. Aronian and Giri were also in the field.
Sources
- FIDE, accessed 07.09.2026
- Grand Chess Tour, accessed 07.09.2026
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