The 2nd day of the Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown 2026 in Saint Louis has concluded. Praggnanandhaa R leads with 11 points after 12 rounds. Javokhir Sindarov is in second place with 8.5 points.

Praggnanandhaa R defeated Hikaru Nakamura twice, and Javokhir Sindarov and Fabiano Caruana once each. Sindarov lost two games and defeated Pragg once. Hikaru Nakamura lost two games and drew the remaining four.

The current standings are:

Place Player Score
1. 🇮🇳 GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu 11
2. 🇺🇿 GM Javokhir Sindarov 8.5
3. 🇺🇸 GM Fabiano Caruana 8.5
4. 🇺🇸 GM Hikaru Nakamura 8

The event features a double Round-Robin format with 18 rounds. The time control for all games in the tournament is Rapid 10+5. Point values for wins increase each day. On Day 1, each win is worth 1 point and $1,000, on Day 2 each win is worth 2 points and $2,000, and on Day 3 each win is worth 3 points and $3,000.

The prize from each drawn game rolls over into a Champion’s Jackpot. Only the winner of the tournament receives the Jackpot. The winner will be determined through a playoff in case of a tie for first.

The Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown 2026 takes place from October 27 to 29, at the Saint Louis Chess Club in Missouri, USA. The event is a unique type of chess tournament format, developed by Grandmaster Maurice Ashley. The event has been hosted at the Saint Louis Chess Club since 2025.

Credit: Lennart Ootes