R. Praggnanandhaa Becomes the First Indian to Win the Grand Chess Tour, Beating Caruana 15-13

28 August 2026National

Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian to win the Grand Chess Tour, beating USA's Fabiano Caruana 15–13 in the inaugural GCT Finals at the Saint Louis Chess Club, Missouri, held from 22 to 27 August 2026. He overturned a six-point deficit on the final day, winning both rapid games for an 11–9 lead before the blitz segment. Wesley So (USA) took third and Germany's Vincent Keymer finished fourth. The 2026 Tour ran from 5 May to 27 August across five regular-season events plus the new Finals. Praggnanandhaa earned USD 200,000 as champion and topped Tour earnings with USD 404,354.

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The Grand Chess Tour is an elite annual circuit of Classical, Rapid and Blitz events founded in 2015 | FIDE – Founded 1924, HQ Lausanne, Switzerland | Viswanathan Anand became India's first Grandmaster in 1988

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