Praggnanandhaa Scripts Historic Comeback Against Caruana, Wins Grand Chess Tour Finals

Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa pulled off an astonishing recovery in St. Louis by defeating Fabiano Caruana and winning the final. As a result, he became the first person to win the Grand Chess Tour Finals title and also collected the prize of $200,000. According to chess.com, Praggnanandhaa broke records and became the first Indian player to win the Grand Chess Tour Finals title.

Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa started with six points behind his rival Fabiano Caruana, but he quickly changed the situation by winning both rapid games and going into the lead. Then he equalized the scores in the blitz games and won the title after scoring 15-13. Praggnanandhaa had an opportunity to win the first blitz game, but he missed because of a time scramble. His position quickly worsened, but his opponent did not use his advantage, and the game ended in a draw.

Meanwhile, in the third-place match, GM Wesley So also made a remarkable comeback against Vincent Keymer. Both players won one rapid game each, but Wesley So dominated the blitz, winning all four games and securing the match by an 18-12 margin with one game remaining. Earlier, Praggnanandhaa had drawn the second classical game on Wednesday, but his opponent Caruana had a six-point lead. The young Indian Grandmaster lost his first classical game against Caruana but managed to hold the second classical game to a draw.