Praggnanandhaa makes history as the first Indian to win a Grand Chess Tour

R Praggnanandhaa on Thursday made history by becoming the first Indian to win a Grand Chess Tour. The Chennai grandmaster staged a stunning comeback against defending champion Fabian Caruana in the final to cap off a remarkable run in 2026.

Praggnanandhaa trailed Caruana by six points after classic games going into the final day trailing 3-9. After completing the comeback in Saint Louis, the Indian admitted he didn’t expect to have much of a chance at the start of the day.

“Honestly, I didn’t think I had much of a chance today. A six-point deficit is a lot. You basically have to do what I did,” Praggnanandhaa said with a laugh.

“It’s tough. It’s not every day you get one win against Fabi, but you get two which were key in Rapid. Mainly what has changed from last year is my Rapid and Blitz game. I think it’s much better now and that’s a huge improvement in this format.”

The Indian turned the game around by winning both of Rapid’s games to move ahead 11-9. Caruana responded by taking the second Blitz game after the first ended in a draw, bringing the score to 12-12, but Praggnanandhaa immediately restored his advantage by winning the third Blitz game.

Needing only a draw in the last encounter, he secured the required result with a triple replay despite being in a winning position. In the six matches between the two finalists, Praggnanandhaa won three, drew two and lost one.

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The Grand Chess Tour title adds another milestone to a year in which Praggnanandhaa has repeatedly prevailed against elite opposition. He suffered a disappointing second appearance at the 2026 Candidates earlier in the year, but responded by winning Norwegian chess, where he defeated Magnus Carlsen twice.

He followed that up with winning runs in the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz before sharing first place in the Sinquefield Cup. His latest triumph also underlined the improvement he has made in the faster formats.

“Yeah, it would be nice to win the candidates,” Praggnanandhaa quipped. “But to win a tournament like this is still a big achievement. You have to show a lot of character to make it at an event like this and I’m glad I did and fought until the very end.”

The Grand Chess Tour also became one of the most important titles on his resume.

“Winning is certainly second only to the World Championship, given the tradition and importance of the event. The World Championship is of course at the top and the Grand Chess Tour is also there,” he said.

Praggnanandhaa leaves Saint Louis with a $200,000 winner’s prize and a guaranteed spot on the 2027 Tour. After wins in Saint Louis and a strong Sinquefield Cup showing, he also completed the 2026 circuit with $404,354 in prize money.

After nearly a month of non-stop chess in Saint Louis, his next assignment is already on the horizon. Praggnanandhaa is part of the Indian squad for the Samarkand Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan from September 16 to 27, where the defending champions will begin their title defence.

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Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

28 Aug 2026 07:40 IST