Indian grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, 21, clinched his maiden Grand Chess Tour title, defeating GM Fabiano Caruana 15-13 in the final match late last week in St. Louis, USA.
In the process, the World No. 12 made history by becoming the first Indian to win the Grand Chess Tour title which had a prize money of US$200,000 (S$255,000). He had earlier won the 2026 Norway Chess title.
Mr C Joseph Vijay, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu – Praggnanandhaa’s home state - congratulated the grandmaster and added that the feat would inspire youngsters.
Praggnanandhaa’s recent title wins highlight his immaculate prowess and the rise of Indian chess players in the global realm.
The two-day final, Caruana v Praggnanandhaa, was a clash of generations, age 34 v age 21. Caruana won the first classical game, exploiting a blunder at move 28, but Praggnanandhaa controlled the second until he erred in a bishops of opposite colours ending, allowing Caruana to survive in a marathon 95 moves.
Classical games counted six points as against four for rapid and two for blitz, but the young Indian proved faster and more inventive in the quicker formats. He won both rapid games to take an 11-9 overall lead, then held on in blitz for a 15-13 winning margin. AGENCIES
