Praggnanandhaa R commented on his victory at the GCT Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz 2026. Pragg says he showed his best Rapid and Blitz performance in the last few years, and notes that the victory didn’t come easy for him.

Praggnanandhaa R

Praggnanandhaa R

India's No. 2

“I don’t remember winning any strong Rapid and Blitz events in the last few years. So, this is the best Rapid and Blitz performance that I have shown.

But also, I don’t think it was a domination or anything. Because the fight was still there, almost until the end. If I had lost to Sindarov, there still would’ve been a lot to fight for in the last game. I think there were some moments, little bit here and there, that went my way.

But I think overall, I played quite well and I managed to keep control in most games.”

The GCT Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz 2026 took place from August 2 to 6, at the Saint Louis Chess Club in Missouri, USA. Praggnanandhaa R scored 10 wins and 15 draws to win the tournament with 23.5/26 points. He won the event 1.5 points ahead of the runner-up Javokhir Sindarov.

Credit: Lennart Ootes