Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa faced a rare slump in form, finishing last in the rapid section of the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz Chess Tournament. By the third and final day, he had accumulated three draws and three losses. He suffered a defeat against the US's Lenier Dominguez in round seven, and in the final match, the 19-year-old was outclassed by fellow American Hikaru Nakamura.
The young Indian player managed to secure a draw against Alireza Firouzja in the eighth round, but ended the segment with a disappointing total of four points out of 18. At the top of this fierce Grand Chess Tour competition, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and Alireza Firouzja all finished tied for first place with 11 points each.
Currently, the trio of leaders is trailed by Levon Aronian, who sits one point behind. Tied for fifth place are Americans Wesley So, Lenier Dominguez, and Hikaru Nakamura, each with nine points. Nodirbek Abdusatoorov and last year's winner, Fabiano Caruana, are right behind them with eight points, while Praggnanandhaa remains isolated at the bottom in tenth place.
With the rapid section's two-point-per-win system concluding, the focus now shifts to the blitz phase, featuring a double round-robin format of 18 games. The scoring returns to the standard format—one point for a win and half for a draw—in this tournament boasting a total prize pool of $175,000.
To recover his standing in the tournament, Praggnanandhaa will need an extraordinary performance in the blitz section. His chances of a strong finish are closely tied to Firouzja's results; if Firouzja performs exceptionally well compared to the current leader, Caruana, he could potentially climb to the top of the overall tour standings.
Despite his recent struggle, Praggnanandhaa still holds third place in the overall tour rankings. A strong showing in the blitz games could allow him to overtake his compatriot D Gukesh, who is currently in fourth and is preparing for the upcoming Sinquefield Cup immediately following this event.
Final Rapid Standings: 1st-3rd: Ian Nepomniachtchi (FID), Alireza Firouzja (FRA), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA) – 11 pts; 4th: Levon Aronian (ARM) – 10 pts; 5th-7th: Lenier Dominguez (USA), Wesley So (USA), Hikaru Nakamura (USA) – 9 pts; 8th-9th: Fabiano Caruana (USA), Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB) – 8 pts; 10th: R Praggnanandhaa (IND) – 4 pts.