Praggnanandhaa Storms Into Grand Chess Tour Final After 13-3 Rout Of Keymer

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa produced another commanding performance at the Grand Chess Tour Finals, defeating Germany’s Vincent Keymer 13-3 to book his place in the championship match at the Saint Louis Chess Club.

Praggnanandhaa had already put himself in a commanding position after the two classical games, taking a 9-3 lead. The opening encounter ended in a draw after 80 moves, but the Indian grandmaster won the second classical game with the white pieces to establish a six-point advantage.

The second game was a dramatic contest of fluctuating fortunes. Keymer initially gained the upper hand against Praggnanandhaa’s Bishop’s Opening, creating serious attacking chances around the Indian’s king. However, a tactical error allowed Praggnanandhaa to win a rook for a knight and turn the position in his favour.

As both players faced severe time pressure, Keymer continued to fight, but Praggnanandhaa took control in the second time control and came close to delivering checkmate. Keymer resigned on move 55, handing Pragg the crucial victory.

The 9-3 advantage meant Praggnanandhaa needed only six more points from the remaining rapid and blitz games to reach the final. The official Grand Chess Tour format gives four points for each rapid win and two points for each blitz win, making his lead extremely difficult for Keymer to overturn. The Indian grandmaster subsequently completed the job in the rapid phase.

The result caps a remarkable run in St. Louis for Praggnanandhaa. Earlier this month, he won his maiden Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz title, topping the rapid standings with 12 points and eventually finishing first overall.

He then shared the lead with Wesley So at the Sinquefield Cup, the final regular-season classical event, although So eventually defeated him in the playoff to claim the title. Despite that result, Praggnanandhaa finished the regular Grand Chess Tour season No. 1 with 35.5 points, ahead of So, Fabiano Caruana and Keymer.

That standing earned Praggnanandhaa the No. 1 seed for the season-ending GCT Finals. The four-player field consists of Praggnanandhaa, So, Caruana and Keymer, with the semifinals pairing Praggnanandhaa against Keymer and Caruana against So.

In the other semifinal, Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So drew their second classical game, leaving their match finely poised after the classical phase. Caruana had earlier won a bonus blitz game against So, according to the official tournament records.

The $450,000 Grand Chess Tour Finals are being held in St. Louis from August 21 to 28. The winner will receive $200,000, while the runner-up will earn $125,000, the third-place finisher $75,000 and the fourth-place player $50,000. The top three finishers will also receive direct invitations to the 2027 Grand Chess Tour.

Praggnanandhaa’s emphatic victory over Keymer now gives him an opportunity to cap his outstanding 2026 campaign with the biggest title of the Grand Chess Tour season. The Indian star will look to carry his St. Louis momentum into the championship match as he bids to become the 2026 Grand Chess Tour champion.