Sindarov Finishes Second at Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbek grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov finished second at the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, 1.5 points behind winner Indian grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, the Grand Chess Tour press service reported.

The tournament, which opened the final stage of the 2026 Grand Chess Tour, was held at the Saint Louis Chess Club from 31 July to 7 August. Over five days of competition, 10 leading grandmasters played nine rounds of rapid chess and 18 rounds of blitz, for a total of 135 games. The results contributed to the standings ahead of the Sinquefield Cup and the Grand Chess Tour final.

Sindarov scored 11 points in rapid and 11 points in blitz for a total of 22 points. Praggnanandhaa, by comparison, scored 12 points in rapid and 11.5 points in blitz, finishing with 23.5 points.

Sindarov remained close behind the leader for most of the tournament. Praggnanandhaa moved into first place in the second round and held the lead until the end of the competition. The world championship title contender increased the pressure on the final day of blitz in an attempt to catch his rival. Their game in the penultimate round proved decisive.

Praggnanandhaa needed only a draw to win the tournament and secured the required result by successfully defending a pawnless endgame. He won both stages of the competition — rapid and blitz.

Seven regular tour participants competed in the tournament: Fabiano Caruana, Javokhir Sindarov, Vincent Keymer, Wesley So, Anish Giri, R Praggnanandhaa and Jorden van Foreest. They were joined by three wild-card entrants: Leinier Dominguez, Levon Aronian and Awonder Liang.

The tournament had a total prize fund of US$200,000. Praggnanandhaa received US$50,000 for first place, while Sindarov earned US$40,000 for second. American grandmaster Wesley So finished third and received US$30,000.

Levon Aronian finished next in the standings and received US$20,000. Jorden van Foreest, Fabiano Caruana and Leinier Dominguez shared fifth to seventh places and each received US$12,000.