R Praggnanandhaa delivered a statement performance in St. Louis, powering his way to his maiden Rapid & Blitz title with a round to spare.
Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa of India secured the top spot in the rapid section of the St. Louis Rapid and Blitz tournament, scoring 12 out of 18 points.
World champion Dommaraju Gukesh scored one win and four draws on the opening day to slip to joint-sixth in the St. Louis Rapid and Blitz chess tournament, a part of the Grand chess tour, in St. Louis (USA), on Friday.
R Praggnanandhaa missed out twice on cashing in on winning positions, ending up at the bottom of the table
After a win over Hikaru Nakamura in his opener, the Norwegian went down to Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi in the second round. A draw with Wesley So in the third left the world no.1 in fifth spot.
Former World champion Viswanathan Anand suffered a disappointing final round loss against Sergey Karjakin of Russia to finish joint eighth in the St Louis Rapid Chess tournament in St Louis, on Thursday.
Nihal Sarin closes in on final Grandmaster norm
World champion D Gukesh overcame a loss against Leinier Dominguez Perez to beat the American duo of Wesley So and Fabiano Caruana to stand at fourth spot.
Indian chess Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, who turned 21, has already amassed a remarkable list of achievements, including becoming a Grandmaster at 12, reaching a career-high world ranking of No. 4, and recently winning the Grand Chess Tour St Louis Rapid and Blitz title.
World champion GM D Gukesh finished tied sixth as Levon Aronian of USA convincingly won the St. Louis Rapid and Blitz that concluded in St Louis.
Aronian sits on six points, followed closely by compatriot Fabiano Caruana on five after two wins and a draw. Gukesh shares the third place with another American, Wesley So, while Vachier-Lagrave and Leinier Dominguez Perez are tied for fifth with three points each.
Like Gukesh, Aronian was just able to draw two games and lost one.
Praggnanandhaa squandered a winning advantage against Vincent Keymer in the Grand Chess Tour opener, allowing the resilient German to survive and secure a hard-fought draw.
Former World champion Viswanathan Anand had another bad outing, drawing seven and losing two games, to remain on joint eighth place after the end of nine rounds of blitz in the St. Louis Rapid and blitz chess tournament in St. Louis, United States.
Former world champion Viswanathan Anand had another disappointing final day as the Indian finished on ninth spot in the St. Louis Rapid and Blitz Chess tournament, a part of the Grand Chess tour.
Without Carlsen, the GCT was announced and this is the culmination point wherein the players would qualify for the grand finale slated later this year.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa has taken a commanding 9-3 lead over Germany's Vincent Keymer, putting him just six points away from qualifying for the finals of the prestigious US$450,000 Grand Chess Tour concluding event.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa secured a tied third-place finish at the Croatian leg of the Grand Chess Tour, bouncing back with a strong performance on the final day. France's Firouzja Alireza claimed the top honours after a tie-break, while Praggnanandhaa shared his position with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Compatriot D Gukesh finished sixth.
Anand and Kasparov last duelled in 2021 at the Zagreb Grand Chess Tour Blitz, where Anand won both their games.
Having lost three and drawn three coming into the third and final day of rapid, Praggnanadhaa lost to Lenier Dominguez of the US in the seventh round.
Indian great Viswanathan Anand will revive his iconic rivalry with Russian stalwart Garry Kasparov, while world champion D Gukesh will go up against familiar foe Magnus Carlsen in Clutch Chess exhibition matches come October in St Louis, USA.
It was in the first game that Anand had outplayed Kasparov and the former world No 1 survived thanks to some unforced error by the Indian ace.
Garry Kasparov, arguably the greatest player ever, returns to competitive chess after 12 years.
News of all people and events who made news on Saturday.
Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand finished joint second after playing out a draw with Wesley So of United States in the Sinquefield Cup, which concluded in St Louis, USA.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Tuesday
Five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand set to return to FIDE World Cup after 15 years with an aim to seal a berth at the 2018 Candidates tournament.
Reigning world rapid champion Viswanathan Anand drew his sixth straight game of the tournament to stay undefeated and have a mid-table placing at number four with three points.
Indian chess great Viswanathan Anand sees signs of greatness in Nihal Sarin but says it's a long journey ahead for the impressive 14-year-old since there has been a trend of players struggling to replicate success as they age.
Vishy Anand face world champion Magnus Carlsen for the first time in India since his 2013 World Championship defeat in Chennai, during the Tata Steel Rapid and Blitz tournament to be held in Kolkata from November 22 to 26.
