St Louis, Aug 26:
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa produced a dominant performance to storm into the final of the Grand Chess Tour’s concluding leg, defeating Germany’s Vincent Keymer 19-9 and setting up a summit clash against defending champion Fabiano Caruana of the United States.
Praggnanandhaa entered the final day with a six-point advantage after winning the second classical game against Keymer. He then maintained his dominance when the competition moved into the faster rapid and blitz formats.
The Indian Grandmaster won both rapid games against Keymer, stretching his advantage to an unassailable 17-3.
He then won the first blitz game to take his overall score to 19 points and effectively seal his place in the final.
Under the tournament rules, however, the remaining games still had to be completed. Keymer managed to fight back by winning the final three blitz games, but by then the outcome of the semifinal had already been decided.
Praggnanandhaa’s opponent in the final will be American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, who defeated compatriot Wesley So 18-9 in the other semifinal.
Caruana’s progress was particularly impressive in the faster formats. Although he is not traditionally regarded as a dominant blitz player, he produced a strong performance on the final day to secure his place in the title clash.
The result sets up an intriguing final between Praggnanandhaa, one of India’s leading young chess stars, and Caruana, the defending champion and pre-event favourite.
The Grand Chess Tour finale carries a total prize purse of USD 450,000.
The winner will receive USD 200,000, while the losing finalist will take home USD 125,000.
The stakes extend beyond prize money, with the top three finishers earning direct invitations to next year’s Grand Chess Tour.