6 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Aug 28, 2026 04:46 AM IST
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa created history on Friday, becoming the first Indian to win the Grand Chess Tour after staging a remarkable comeback to defeat defending champion Fabiano Caruana in the final.
The Indian takes home a hefty $200,000 prize and secures a guaranteed spot in next year’s tour.
Praggnanandhaa headed into the final day with a six-point deficit, trailing Caruana 3-9 after the Classical leg, having lost the opening game and drawn the second. But he turned the tide in the Rapid leg, winning both games to earn eight points and take an 11-9 lead into the final Blitz leg.
In the first Blitz game, Pragg had winning chances but blundered in a time scramble. The position turned worse, but Caruana failed to capitalise, and the game ended in a draw. Caruana, the 2018 World Championship challenger and the man with the third-highest Elo rating in history (2844), struck back immediately, winning the second Blitz clash to level the score at 12-12.
ALSO READ | What the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz triumph means to Praggnanandhaa
The Grandmaster from Chennai wasted no time regaining his lead, beating Caruana with the white pieces for his third win of the day. Heading into the final game, Praggnanandhaa held a 14-12 lead and needed only a draw to seal the title. He did exactly that, forcing a threefold repetition in a completely winning position to dethrone Caruana.
Congratulations to Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, the winner of the 2026 Grand Chess Tour, which comes with $200,000!
He started the day six points behind, but unseated the reigning GCT champion! pic.twitter.com/IhV4fYxx9O
— chess24 (@chess24com) August 27, 2026
Praggnanandhaa admitted he wasn’t too hopeful of the title heading into the final day. Across six games against Caruana, he managed to win three, drew two, including the final game where he had a winning position, and lost just one.
“Honestly, I didn’t think I had much of a chance today. A six-point deficit is a lot. You basically need to do what I did,” he laughed.
Story continues below this ad
“It’s difficult. It’s not every day you can get one win against Fabi, but to get two… that was crucial in the Rapid,” said Praggnanandhaa after his historic title win. “Mainly, what changed from last year is my Rapid and Blitz game. It’s much better now, I think, and that’s a massive improvement in this format.”
Magical run
Hopes were high for him at the 2026 Candidates for a potential all-India World Championship final clash, but Praggnanandhaa had a cold outing in Cyprus in his second Candidates appearance. However, he stepped up big time after that disappointment, embarking on a magical run that saw him become the first Indian to win the Norway Chess title, beating Magnus Carlsen twice in the same event. His Saint Louis win and Sinquefield Cup performance only vindicated his true strength.
Praggnanandhaa and his coach, grandmaster Vaibhav Suri, arrive at Oslo’s Deichman Bjørvika for the round 3 clash with Magnus Carlsen. (Photo: Michal Walusza/Norway Chess)
When asked about his incredible run, Praggnanandhaa saw the funny side of it. “Yeah, it would have been nice to win the Candidates,” he laughed it off.
“But winning a tournament like this is still a great achievement. You have to show a lot of character to come out on top in such an event, and I’m happy that I managed to do that and fight till the very end,” he added.
Story continues below this ad
The Grand Chess Tour means a lot to Praggnanandhaa, so much so that he called it second only to the World Championship. “Winning this is certainly second only to the World Championship, given the tradition and the stature of the event. The World Championship is obviously at the top, and the Grand Chess Tour is right up there as well, so winning this is amazing. The format is also incredibly tough. You have to prove yourself not just in Classical but also in Rapid and Blitz. I’m happy I was able to do it here,” he said.
Praggnanandhaa has been in Saint Louis for nearly a month, playing continuous chess. The exhaustion is beginning to show, and all he wants to do now is go home and rest. “I just want to go home and rest now, and not look at chess for a week or two ideally. But then there’s the Olympiad coming up, so…” he laughed.
Praggnanandhaa celebrates with the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz trophy. (Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz 2026)
He credited his team and expressed special gratitude to his travelling partner and trainer, Vaibhav Suri, who managed things for him from India. “My mother and sister were here for the Sinquefield Cup, but they had to go back. Still, it’s great to have them at any tournament. And to my trainers, Ramesh sir and Vaibhav Suri. I think he completely messed up his sleep schedule because of me. He couldn’t come here because of some visa issues, but he stayed connected with me despite the massive time difference. His sleep cycle must have been completely ruined. Huge credit to him. He was basically up throughout the night. It’s 3-4 AM back in India. So huge thanks to him and my other seconds as well. They have been doing a great job.”
Praggnanandhaa won the highest total prize of $404,354 from the entire 2026 tour, having earlier won the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz and tied for first place in the Sinquefield Cup.
Story continues below this ad
The Grand Chess Tour is an elite circuit spanning Classical, rapid, and blitz events with a $2 million prize pool. The top four players in the season standings qualify for the GCT finals, a knockout event where the year’s best compete for the title.
Wesley So defeated Germany’s Vincent Keymer in the third-place match to confirm his spot in next year’s tour alongside Praggnanandhaa and Caruana.