Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa has stormed into the final of the last leg of the Grand Chess Tour after defeating Germany’s Vincent Keymer 19-9 in the semifinal.
Praggnanandhaa produced a dominant performance throughout the match and built a commanding lead across the classical, rapid and blitz games. He entered the final day with a six-point advantage and extended it further by winning consecutive rapid games.
After the rapid games, Praggnanandhaa moved to a 17-3 lead before securing another victory in the first blitz game to take his score to 19 points. Although Keymer won the remaining blitz games, the Indian Grandmaster had already done enough to seal the semifinal.
Praggnanandhaa will face defending champion Fabiano Caruana of the United States in the final. Caruana defeated fellow American Wesley So in the other semifinal to book his place in the title clash.
The Grand Chess Tour finale is being held in St. Louis, with the tournament featuring some of the world’s leading chess players. Praggnanandhaa will now look to cap his campaign with a victory in the final and claim the prestigious title.
