Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa made it to finals of the Grand Chess Tour 2026 after a commanding win over Germany’s Vincent Keymer on Monday.
In Semi-Final 1, Praggnanandhaa beaten Keymer with a 19-9 victory in St. Louis to book his place in the final showdown.
Now, he will face USA’s Fabiano Caruana on Tuesday, August 25, for the title.
Praggnanandhaa started with a dominant 9-3 victory in the classical match. He continued his strong run with a clean sweep in both rapid games, winning 4-0. However, Keymer fought back slightly in the blitz games but Praggnanandhaa had already built a big enough lead to seal the match.
Who is R Praggnanandhaa
R Praggnanandhaa belongs to Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Here are some basic details about the Grand Chess Tour Finalist.
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Category
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Biography Details
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Full Name
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Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa
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Date of Birth
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August 10, 2005
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Place of Birth
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Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
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Father
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Rameshbabu
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Mother
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Nagalakshmi
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Primary Coach
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R. B. Ramesh
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R Praggnanandhaa Key Stats and Career Records
R Praggnanandhaa has already achieved some remarkable feats early in his career. Here are some of his key achievements and records.
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Achievement
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Detail
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FIDE Title
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Grandmaster (Earned in 2018)
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Youngest IM Milestone
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Youngest International Master in history (10 years, 10 months, 19 days)
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Grandmaster Title Milestone
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Achieved at 12 years, 10 months, 13 days
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Best Classical Rating
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2785
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Best World Ranking
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World No. 4
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FIDE Chess World Cup (2023)
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Silver Medalist / Runner-up
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45th Chess Olympiad (2024)
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Gold Medalist (Open Section)
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World Youth Championships
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Under-8 (2013), Under-10 (2015), & Under-18 (2019) Champion
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R Praggnanandhaa Performance Across Grand Chess Tour 2026
Here are the complete details of R Praggnanandhaa’s road to the finals of Grand Chess Tour 2026.
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Event Name
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Host City / Date
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Format
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Event Result
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Tour Points Earned
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Super Chess Classic Romania
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Bucharest, Romania (May 14–23)
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Classical
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5th Place
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4.0
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Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia
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Zagreb, Croatia (July 1–5)
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Rapid & Blitz
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Joint 3rd Place
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7.5
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Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz
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St. Louis, USA (July 31–August 7)
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Rapid & Blitz
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Champion (1st Place)
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13.0
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Sinquefield Cup
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St. Louis, USA (August 10–20)
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Classical
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Runner-up (2nd Place) (Tied 1st in Classical, lost tiebreak)
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11.0
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Praggnanandhaa is now one win away to become the first Indian to win a Grand Chess Tour title. However, the challenge will be tough against Fabiano Caruana, who has won the title in 2025.