ST. LOUIS:
Indian chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa created history by becoming the first Indian to win the prestigious Grand Chess Tour title, defeating American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana in a thrilling final in St. Louis.
Praggnanandhaa staged a remarkable comeback after trailing 3-9 at the end of the classical rounds. The young Indian Grandmaster transformed the contest in the rapid section, winning both games to dramatically close the gap.
The momentum shifted again in the blitz rounds, where the opening game ended in a draw. Praggnanandhaa, however, held his nerve in the remaining three games to secure the historic title with a 15-13 aggregate score.
With the victory, Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian player to lift the Grand Chess Tour trophy. The triumph also earned him prize money of around Rs 1.68 crore.
The landmark victory further underlines Praggnanandhaa’s rise as one of the brightest stars in world chess and marks another significant chapter for Indian chess on the global stage.