Praggnanandhaa finishes joint-top at Sinquefield Cup, secures GCT final berth

Indian chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa finished in a tie for first place at the Sinquefield Cup 2026, securing his qualification for the Grand Chess Tour (GCT) final. In a hard-fought final round, Praggnanandhaa drew with American Grandmaster Wesley So, leaving them both with a perfect 5.5 points from the nine-round tournament. So ultimately claimed the title and a substantial prize of $87,500 after prevailing in the tiebreaker against Pragg.

The Indian grandmaster's consistent performance throughout the event, including victories over Candidates winner Javokhir Sindarov and French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, highlighted his status as a reliable performer in chess. Joining Praggnanandhaa in the GCT finals are American Wesley So, Fabiano Caruana, and Germany's Vincent Keymer.

Sindarov, the world championship challenger, required a top-two finish to qualify for the GCT finals, but ended up drawing with Praggnanandhaa in the final round, missing out on both the Sinquefield Cup title and a GCT spot. The GCT finals, featuring the top four players of the season, will commence on Saturday, presenting Praggnanandhaa with an opportunity to become the first Indian to win the overall tour title.