Praggnanandhaa makes unbeaten start at Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa enjoyed an impressive start to the Grand Chess Tour: Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, remaining unbeaten after the first three rapid games. He collected 2.5 points out of 3, putting himself among the early leaders in one of the strongest events on the chess calendar.

Pragg began his campaign with a solid draw against Leinier Dominguez Perez. The players exchanged queens early, leading to an equal endgame. Neither side was able to create real winning chances, and the game ended peacefully after 49 moves.

He then produced an excellent performance against Levon Aronian in the second round. Playing with the white pieces, Pragg gradually built pressure in the middlegame. Aronian, who was already short on time, found himself under increasing pressure as Pragg’s advanced central pawns and active pieces created serious threats.
The turning point came when Pragg’s pieces became extremely active, forcing Aronian into difficult defensive moves. Despite both players entering a time scramble, the Indian kept his composure and converted his advantage. After the 34th move, Aronian resigned as he could no longer stop White’s attack.

Pragg carried that momentum into the third round against American star Fabiano Caruana, this time with the black pieces. Facing the French Defence, he stayed patient in a balanced position before launching a well-timed counterattack.

As the game entered the endgame, Pragg’s active rooks and passed pawns gave him the upper hand. He slowly improved his position while Caruana, under severe time pressure, was unable to hold the balance. Pragg converted his advantage confidently and sealed his second consecutive victory after 62 moves.

Pragg will now face Javokhir Sindarov in rapid 4, Awondar Liang in rapid 5 and Wesley So in rapid 6 on the third of August.

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