Overview
- The 2026 Grand Chess Tour Finals in St. Louis began Saturday with both semifinal match-ups finishing the first classical day tied at 3–3: Wesley So versus Fabiano Caruana and Vincent Keymer versus R. Praggnanandhaa.
- Each knockout match uses two classical, two rapid and four blitz games with weighted scoring where a classical win is worth six points, rapid four and blitz two, and 15 of 28 points are needed to advance.
- The winner of the event receives $200,000 from the $450,000 prize fund and the top three finishers earn direct invites to next year’s Grand Chess Tour, making both money and tour access at stake.
- Praggnanandhaa missed a clear winning chance in his first classical game against Keymer and the game ended drawn, while Caruana held a tense draw with So after So tried a forcing line.
- The Finals are being shown on the Saint Louis Chess Club channels with expert commentary framing the contest as a test of multi‑timecontrol skill and clock management that can overturn classical advantages.