The 21-year-old grandmaster produced a stunning comeback against Fabiano Caruana, overturning a six-point deficit to win the final 15-13 and claim the USD 200,000 prize.
St. Louis, USA: Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa created history by becoming the first Indian chess player to win the prestigious Grand Chess Tour title.
The 21-year-old from Chennai staged a remarkable comeback to defeat American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana 15-13 in a thrilling grand finale at the Saint Louis Chess Club.
Praggnanandhaa began the final day six points behind Caruana, but completely changed the course of the match by winning both rapid games. With four points awarded for each rapid victory, the Indian grandmaster moved into a two-point lead.
The contest remained closely fought during the four blitz games. Praggnanandhaa and Caruana won one game each, while the other two games ended in draws.
Caruana won the second blitz game to level the score at 12-12. Praggnanandhaa responded strongly by winning the third game and restoring his two-point advantage at 14-12.
Caruana needed to win the final blitz game to force a tiebreak. However, Praggnanandhaa remained composed and secured a draw, sealing a memorable 15-13 victory.
“Honestly, I didn’t think I had many chances today,” Praggnanandhaa told Chess.com. He added that securing two rapid victories against Caruana proved crucial to his comeback.
The historic triumph earned Praggnanandhaa his maiden Grand Chess Tour crown and a winner’s prize of USD 200,000. The victory also guaranteed him a place in next year’s Grand Chess Tour.
Caruana also qualified for the next edition, along with American Grandmaster Wesley So, who defeated Germany’s Vincent Keymer 18-12 to secure third place.
The Grand Chess Tour congratulated Praggnanandhaa on social media, praising his fighting spirit and extraordinary comeback in the final.
Mentored by five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, Praggnanandhaa has enjoyed an outstanding season. Earlier this year, he also became the first Indian to win the Norway Chess title, where he registered two victories over world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen.
