Uzbek grandmaster Javhohir Sindarov achieved second place at the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz tournament, which was the fourth stage of the elite 2026 Grand Chess Tour series. He secured second place in both rapid and blitz disciplines, accumulating a total of 22 points.
The competition took place from August 2 to 6 and included nine rapid games and eighteen blitz games. In rapid, two points were awarded for a win and one for a draw, while the standard system was used in blitz: one point for a win and half a point for a draw. The total prize fund for this stage amounted to $200,000.
Rapid and Blitz Results
Based on the results of nine rapid rounds, Sindarov accumulated 11 points, which earned him second place. Ramesh Babu Pragnanandh from India led the rapid with 12 points, and Wesley So from the USA scored 10 points. Sindarov's performance in rapid reached 2739, slightly above his rating before the stage, which was 2730.
In blitz, the Uzbek player was only one point behind the leader. In the first nine blitz games, Sindarov earned 5.5 points, maintaining second position. A special success came during the period from the fourth to the sixth round, when he won three consecutive matches against Fabiano Caruana, Evonder Lyan, and Lenger Dominguez.
One of the important games on the first day of blitz was against Pragnanandh. Sindarov gained an advantage in the form of an extra pawn and, according to Chess.com, a winning position, but made a mistake in the pawn endgame, leading to a draw agreement with his opponent. If he had won, the gap to the leader would have been reduced to half a point. Sindarov explained his move at the decisive moment with the phrase: 'I saw that I was winning with almost any move.'
After the first blitz round, the overall standings were as follows: Pragnanandh had 18 points, Sindarov had 16.5, and So had 15.
On the second day, Sindarov again scored 5.5 points out of nine. After a draw with Levon Aronian, he consecutively defeated Jordan van Foreest and Vincent Kaimer, although he later lost to Caruana, but managed to beat Anish Giri later. Before the end of the tournament, the gap to Pragnanandh had decreased to half a point at one point.
In the penultimate, seventeenth blitz round, the leaders met. Despite Sindarov having an extra pawn, Pragnanandh managed to maintain his position. The draw allowed the Indian chess player to win the tournament a round before its conclusion. In the final round, Sindarov drew with Wesley So.
After all eighteen blitz games, Pragnanandh scored 11.5 points, Sindarov scored 11, and So scored 10.5, while Aronian scored 10. The Uzbek player achieved five wins, suffered two losses, and played 11 draws. His performance was 2749, which was the second result of the tournament after Pragnanandh's 2771. During the competition, Sindarov's blitz rating increased by nine points.
Overall Standings Summary
In the overall standings, Pragnanandh took first place with 23.5 points (12 in rapid and 11.5 in blitz). Sindarov became second with a total score of 22 points (11+11). Wesley So took third place with 20.5 points, and Levon Aronian took fourth with 19 points.
Following them in the rankings were Lenger Dominguez, Fabiano Caruana, and Jordan van Foreest, each scoring 17 points. Anish Giri received 15.5 points, Vincent Kaimer received 14.5, and Evonder Lyan received 14 points.
The prize distribution was as follows: the winner received $50,000, Sindarov received $40,000, So received $30,000, and Aronian received $20,000.
For Pragnanandh, this victory was the second at a single stage of the Grand Chess Tour in his career; previously, he had won the series stage in Bucharest in May 2025. After the tournament, Pragnanandh highly praised the fight with the representative from Uzbekistan, noting: 'Everything looks smooth from the outside if you look at the final score, but it wasn't like that. It was crazy. Javhohir must be credited—he fought until the very end.'
Sindarov himself stated that he learned useful lessons from the loss to Caruana and is generally satisfied with his play, adding: 'Sometimes playing well is not enough. You also need luck.'
Sindarov is one step away from the Grand Chess Tour final
The result achieved in St. Louis is of great importance for Sindarov's fight for a spot in the Grand Chess Tour final. For second place, he earned 10 series points, which raised him to fifth place in the overall standings with 20.5 points. Currently, Fabiano Caruana leads with 25 points, followed by Pragnanandh with 24.5 and Wesley So with 23.5. The fourth qualifying position belongs to Vincent Kaimer with 21 points. Thus, Sindarov is only 0.5 points away from the final zone.
Position before the last stage
Winning a Grand Chess Tour stage awards 13 points, second place awards 10, and third place awards 8. Other participants receive between 7 and 1 point. When determining the ranking, points allocated for the respective positions are summed up. Four top players in the overall standings will qualify for the Grand Chess Tour final, with the number one seed playing against the fourth, and the second against the third.
The Sinquefield Cup will be the decisive moment, taking place in St. Louis from August 10 to 20 in classical chess format and will be the fifth and final stage of the regular part of the Grand Chess Tour. Sindarov needs to overtake Kaimer in the overall standings to qualify for the series final in his debut GCT season. The Grand Chess Tour final itself is scheduled for August 22–27 in St. Louis, and its prize fund will be $450,000, of which the winner will receive $200,000.
