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Praggnanandhaa Holds One-Point Lead as Saint Louis Moves to Blitz

The rapid phase ended with him on 12 of 18 points, making the forthcoming 18-game blitz the decisive stretch for prize money and Grand Chess Tour qualification.

Overview

  • After the rapid portion concluded on Tuesday, Praggnanandhaa scored 12 out of 18 and leads Javokhir Sindarov by one point with Wesley So two points behind.
  • Rapid wins in this event were worth two points each while the upcoming blitz awards one point per win in an 18-game double round‑robin, a format that can overturn the standings.
  • Praggnanandhaa built his lead with four rapid wins including victories over Levon Aronian and Fabiano Caruana and has climbed into the live world top‑10 for rapid for the first time.
  • Play shifts to two days of blitz starting August 5, with Praggnanandhaa paired against Vincent Keymer in the first blitz round and Sindarov facing Aronian in his opener.
  • The event carries a $200,000 prize fund with $50,000 for the winner and awards Grand Chess Tour points that will affect which full‑tour players advance to the season finals, a context altered this year by Alireza Firouzja’s tour withdrawal.