Praggnanandhaa makes chess history with stunning Grand Chess Tour comeback

Highlights:

GRANDMASTER R Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian to win the Grand Chess Tour title after fighting back from a six-point deficit to beat Fabiano Caruana of the US in the final at the Saint Louis Chess Club.

The 21-year-old from Chennai began the final day six points behind Caruana last Thursday (27) but staged a remarkable comeback to win 15-13 and claim his maiden Grand Chess Tour title. He also pocketed $200,000 as the winner’s purse.

The victory guaranteed Praggnanandhaa a place on next year’s Grand Chess Tour, along with Caruana and another American, Wesley So. So defeated Germany’s Vincent Keymer 18-12 to finish third.

“Honestly, I didn’t think I had many chances today,” Praggnanandhaa told Chess.com.

“It’s not every day that you can get one win from Fabi, but to get two, it was important in the rapid.”

Mentored by five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, Praggnanandhaa began the day six points behind but won both rapid games to move two points ahead. A win in each rapid game was worth four points.

The four blitz games that followed were evenly contested, with Praggnanandhaa and Caruana winning one each and the other two ending in draws.

The two-point advantage Praggnanandhaa built during the rapid section proved decisive.

The first blitz game ended in a draw before Caruana won the second to level the score at 12-12.

Praggnanandhaa then beat Caruana in the third game to restore his two-point lead at 14-12.

Caruana needed to win the final blitz game to force two more games with a different time control, followed by Armageddon.

However, Praggnanandhaa needed only a draw, and he held his opponent to seal the title. “Congratulations to Praggnanandhaa on winning his first-ever Grand Chess Tour title!” the Grand Chess Tour posted on X.

Pragg defeats Fabiano Caruana in a thrilling final match to cap off an incredible season and claim the GCT crown for the first time in his career! What a comeback, what a fight, and what a way to become champion!”

Earlier this year, Praggnanandhaa also became the first Indian to win the Norway Chess title, a campaign that included two wins over world No. 1 and tournament favorite Magnus Carlsen.

His recent form has now earned him praise from Anand, who believes Praggnanandhaa is the best player in the world at the moment.

FIDE’s world number-one ranking has been held for 15 consecutive years, starting from July 1, 2011, by you-know-who, GM Magnus Carlsen. GM Gukesh D, the youngest champion in history, holds the world title and will defend it against World Cup winner GM Javokhir Sindarov later this year in Geneva in the 2026 World Chess Championship match.

GM Praggnanandhaa R isn’t in the conversation for either of those traditional honors right now. But it is the 21-year-old Indian who GM Viswanathan Anand, the former five-time world champion and legend of the game, believes is the best player in the world at this moment.

Pragg, as he is known, received the glowing compliment after winning the 2026 Grand Chess Tour in stunning fashion last week.

“I think at the moment, I would say he’s the number one player in the world,” Anand told the Times of India. Anand, however, acknowledged that Carlsen “doesn’t compete in the same events”, while pointing to Praggnanandhaa’s recent form across classical, rapid and blitz.

Pragg - nanandhaa’s win over Caru- ana in St. Louis contin- ued a summer in which he also won Norway Chess, becoming the first Indian to win the super-tournament and doing so ahead of Carlsen, as well as the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz.

Anand also highlighted what he believes has become a feature of Praggnanandhaa’s game: his ability to finish tournaments strongly.

“He has this capacity, and it’s becoming more and more noticeable that he’s able to win late games and change everything,” Anand said. “And that’s a very, very rare skill and useful skill to have.”

Praggnanandhaa’s next assignment is the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, where India will defend the gold medal it won in Budapest in 2024.

And Anand believes Praggnanandhaa’s current form has created a question for India over whether to put him above Gukesh on board one. “Right now, it’s very tempting to drop Praggnanandhaa on the first board,” Anand told the Indian Express.