Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz: Pragg secures rapid section lead

By Arjun Nair / 05.08.2026

By Arjun Nair — 5 August 2026 — 3 min read

Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu concluded the rapid section of the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz in first place, accumulating 12 points over the initial three days. Despite a loss to Jorden van Foreest in the ninth and final rapid round, he maintained a one-point advantage over Javokhir Sindarov. Wesley So finished a further point behind.

The Indian grandmaster delivered a strong performance during the rapid phase, achieving four wins, four draws, and one defeat. This showing also propelled him into the top ten of the live rapid world rankings for the first time in his career. His live Rapid rating reached a career-high of 2714.5, securing his position in the FIDE Live Rapid Ratings World Top 10. This achievement means India now has three Grandmasters in the Rapid Top 10, alongside Viswanathan Anand and Arjun Erigaisi.

The scoring system for the upcoming blitz section will differ, with victories being worth one point instead of two, as it will be a double round-robin format.

Key Matches and Performances

In round seven, two players recorded their first victories of the tournament. Fabiano Caruana defeated Awonder Liang by focusing on a vulnerable e5-pawn, which brought the world number-two back to an even score. Vincent Keymer also broke a sequence of six consecutive draws by beating Van Foreest. Their game concluded with a blunder from the Dutch grandmaster in the endgame. Keymer’s victory briefly placed him within two points of the leader, though both he and Caruana were defeated in the subsequent round.

Round eight featured three decisive games. Pragg overcame Keymer in a complex match involving connected passed pawns for both players. Despite the tournament leader holding an extra exchange, the position became increasingly unclear, and Keymer had defensive opportunities before ultimately losing. Sindarov remained close to the lead by defeating Liang, exploiting a collection of isolated pawns after Black weakened the kingside structure. Liang later sacrificed his h-pawn to alleviate pressure, but his remaining pawns continued to be targets. So also stayed near the top with a victory over Caruana.

The ninth and final rapid round saw only one decisive game. Van Foreest defeated the tournament leader with a prepared idea in the French Defence, marking Pragg’s first loss of the tournament. Van Foreest had also previously beaten So in the rapid section, but still finished well behind the leading group. Caruana missed an opportunity to defeat Anish Giri in the final round, resulting in a draw. Giri and Leinier Dominguez completed all nine rapid games without a decisive result, each recording nine draws.

Tournament Structure and Outlook

The 2026 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz event is part of the Grand Chess Tour’s final stretch, bringing ten elite grandmasters to the Saint Louis Chess Club from July 31 to August 7. The tournament combines nine rapid rounds and eighteen blitz rounds, totaling 135 games. Rapid wins contribute two points and draws one point, while blitz wins count for one point and draws for half a point. The total prize fund for the event is $200,000, with $50,000 allocated for first place. Full-tour players also compete for Tour Points to qualify for the 2026 GCT Grand Finals.

The 10-player lineup includes seven full-tour competitors: Fabiano Caruana, Javokhir Sindarov, Vincent Keymer, Wesley So, Anish Giri, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, and Jorden van Foreest. They are joined by three wildcards: Leinier Dominguez, Levon Aronian, and Awonder Liang. Pragg now enters the blitz portion with a narrow lead, with Sindarov and So remaining within immediate reach. With 18 blitz rounds still to be played and each result carrying less weight than in the rapid section, the gaps at the top remain manageable.

On Day 1, Pragg started with a draw against Leinier Dominguez and then defeated Levon Aronian in Round 2. Day 2 saw him draw against Javokhir Sindarov in Round 4 and secure a victory against Awonder Liang in Round 5. He concluded Day 2 with a 117-move draw against Wesley So.

Source: en.chessbase.com