At 3:20 AM in India, history has been written. Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa is the Champion of Grand Chess Tour 2026 - and he is the first Indian player to do so! Pragg defeated Fabiano Caruana 15-13 in the Grand Chess Tour Finals at USA.
Praggnanandhaa's name should be synonymous with perseverence at this point. Its been close to a month since Pragg has been playing at the Saint Louis Chess Club in USA - first winning the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz, then finishing 2nd at the Sinquefield, and now winning the GCT finals to win Grand Chess Tour 2026!
The road to the Championship was certainly not easy. Pragg lost the first classical game, and drew the second one - he had to cover a 6 point deficit. And he did - he won both the Rapid games to take back the lead, and kept his nerve in the Blitz. A draw in the final game was enough, and thats what Pragg did to secure the Grand Chess Tour title.
A huge congratulations to Praggnanandhaa, his team and his family for this incredible achievement - Pragg takes home USD 200,000!
Graphic: Anmol Bhargav
#chess #chessbaseindia #praggnanandhaa #grandchesstour
Congratulations to @DivyaDeshmukh05 and @viditchess on being honoured with the prestigious Arjuna Award!
Their exceptional performances, determination and contribution to Indian chess have made the nation proud.
A heartfelt thank you to Hon’ble PM @narendramodi ji for his unwavering encouragement to India’s sporting champions and for consistently placing sport and athletes at the heart of our national aspirations.
Grateful to Hon’ble Sports Minister @mansukhmandviya ji for his continued support to Indian sport and our chess champions.
A special salute to their parents for their sacrifices and unwavering belief, and to millions of Indian chess fans whose love and encouragement inspire our players every day.
May Divya and Vidit continue to make the Tricolour soar higher! 🇮🇳
@FIDE_chess@aicfchess@Media_SAI
Congratulations to @rpraggnachess on tournament victory in the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz! He led all five days of the tournament to win the $50,000 first prize and his maiden title with a round to spare!
♟🇨🇭 Geneva to host FIDE World Championship Match 2026
The FIDE World Championship Match 2026 between reigning World Champion 🇮🇳 Gukesh D and Challenger 🇺🇿 Javokhir Sindarov will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, from November 25 to December 15. Both Gukesh, representing India, and Sindarov, representing Uzbekistan, will be 20 years old when the event begins, making it the youngest World Championship contest in history.
Read more: https://t.co/YTCnNHGcHB
#GukeshSindarov
♟ The FIDE Council has approved a series of significant changes to the format of the 2027 FIDE World Cup and the 2027 FIDE Women’s World Cup, following recommendations from the Global Strategy Commission.
Beginning in 2027, both World Cups will be played over 19 days and will consist of two distinct stages.
▪️Stage 1: Swiss qualification
The opening stage will consist of Swiss-system tournaments played with a Fast Classical time control of 45 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move.
The FIDE World Cup will feature four Swiss pools, while the FIDE Women’s World Cup will be divided into two Swiss pools. Each Swiss tournament will be played over nine rounds across five days, with the pools balanced to ensure comparable playing strength.
The leading players from each pool will advance to the knockout stage:
– FIDE World Cup: Top four players from each of the four pools (16 players total)
– FIDE Women’s World Cup: Top eight players from each of the two pools (16 players total)
▪️Stage 2: Knockout finals
The second stage will retain the traditional knockout. The Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and final will be played using the existing World Cup format and classical time controls.
Read more: https://t.co/oUf9ySNGe0
#FIDEWorldCup