Praggnanandhaa creates history by clinching Grand Chess Tour 2026
R Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian to win Grand Chess Tour 2026. He defeated Fabiano Caruana 14-12 to win the tour.
Praggnanandhaa wins both Rapid games against Caruana
R Praggnanandhaa won Norway Chess, Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz, tied first and finished second on Playoff in Sinquefield Cup and now won the entire Grand Chess Tour 2026. He is in phenomenal form before the 46th Olympiad. He has decided to skip Global Chess League 2026 which is a great decision as he needs to rest after a monthlong top class chess in all three formats.
R Praggnanandhaa lost the first Classical game against Fabiano Caruana (USA). He drew the next one. In Rapid, Praggnanandhaa won both games. Then in Blitz, the first game ended in a draw. Caruana won the second, Praggnanandhaa bounced back with a win in the third, followed by a draw in the fourth. Winning both Rapid games turned out to be a decisive factor as Praggnanandhaa won the Final 14-12. Thus, Caruana secured second place. Wesley So (USA) defeated Vincent Keymer (GER) 16-12 to finish third.
“Honestly, I didn’t think I had much chances today. I mean six point is a lot, like you need to basically do what I did. It’s not every day that you can get, one win from Fabi but to get two, it was important in the Rapid. I think mainly what changed from last year is my Rapid and Blitz is much better I think. I think that’s a massive improvement in this format.” – Praggnanandhaa on not qualifying to the Finals of GCT Tour last year which meant no secure spot to the Tour lineup this year, to winning the entire Tour.
“Of course, it would have been nice to have it in the Candidates. It’s still a great thing to win tournaments like these. You have to show a lot of character when you have to come out on top in such an event. So, I am happy that I managed to show it. I managed to fight till the end and to have fun.” – Praggnanandhaa on his magical run in the last few months.
“Winning this is certainly like, second to the World Championship, because of the tradition and stuff. World Championship is obviously at the top and then certainly Grand Chess Tour is at the top as well. So winning this is amazing. This format is also like super hard. You have to prove it not just in Classical but Rapid and Blitz is also super important. I am happy that I managed to do it here. ” – Praggnanandhaa on belonging with everybody at the top.
Praggnanandhaa also thanked his trainer – GM FST R B Ramesh, GM Vaibhav Suri and his other seconds. He also mentioned family support is important for a month-long important tournaments like these.
R Praggnanandhaa is the winner of Grand Chess Tour 2026 | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour
In case you are wondering why the trophy looks like an empty opened box, the following tweet will answer it.
Interview with R Praggnanandhaa | Video: Saint Louis Chess Club
Trophy ceremony | Video: Saint Louis Chess Club
Blitz Game 4: Fabiano Caruana (USA) vs R Praggnanandhaa | Video: Saint Louis Chess Club
Fabiano Caruana (USA) and R Praggnanandhaa battling in various games | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour
Wesley So (USA) defeated Vincent Keymer (GER) 16-12 to finish third | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour
Wesley So congratulating R Praggnanandhaa after he became the Grand Chess Tour 2026 champion | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour
Replay live stream
Replay Final Classical Game 1 live commentary by GMs Yasser Seirawan, Peter Svidler, Maurice Ashley, and IMs Nazi Paikidze and Irene Sukandar | Video: Saint Louis Chess Club
Replay Final Classical Game 2 and Bonus Blitz live commentary by GMs Yasser Seirawan, Peter Svidler, Maurice Ashley, and IMs Nazi Paikidze and Irene Sukandar | Video: Saint Louis Chess Club
Replay Final Rapid and Blitz live commentary by GMs Yasser Seirawan, Peter Svidler, Maurice Ashley, and IMs Nazi Paikidze and Irene Sukandar | Video: Saint Louis Chess Club
Replay all Final games
Schedule and Format
There will be one round per day from 10th to 19th August. Rest day is on 15th August. Round 1 starts at 12 p.m. local time, 10:30 p.m. IST. It will be a 10-player Round Robin event. Time control will be 40 moves in 90 minutes + 30 minutes + 30 seconds increment from move no.1.
Prize
Final scores
Final results | Graphic: Grand Chess Tour
Format
Semifinal and Final scoring details | Graphic: Grand Chess Tour
Links
Grand Chess Tour: Official site, Tournament Regulations
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