Pragg wins with 4 video games to spare, Caruana protects early result in emerge victorious
Fabiano Caruana and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu will battle for general victory on the 2026 Grand Chess Tour Finals after coming by way of their semifinal matches on Monday. Praggnanandhaa defeated Vincent Keymer 19-9, having already secured the match with 4 video games nonetheless to play, whereas Caruana overcame Wesley So 18-12 in a significantly tighter contest.
The finalists will start once more from zero on Tuesday, when the primary classical video games of the ultimate and third-place match will probably be performed. Keymer and So will meet for third place, with an added incentive: the winner will safe a spot on the 2027 Grand Chess Tour.
Change into a grasp of chess technique – get Robert Ris’s full bundle now at a particular worth!
Monday’s programme consisted of two fast video games at 25 minutes plus a 10-second increment, adopted by 4 blitz video games at 5 minutes plus 2 seconds.
Praggnanandhaa 19-9 Keymer
Keymer had missed a serious alternative in Sunday’s classical sport, when he let a successful place slip and finally misplaced. The results appeared to hold over into the quicker part, because the German started the day with three consecutive defeats.
Already 6 factors behind and taking part in Black within the first fast sport, Keymer selected the Pirc Defence. Pragg had little purpose to take dangers and steered the sport in direction of simplifications instantly, exchanging queens early on. The Indian star dealt with the ensuing place precisely and progressively transformed what turned his most convincing efficiency of the match as much as that time.
The second fast sport was much more one-sided. Pragg, this time with black, obtained a wonderful place nearly instantly out of a Sicilian. The construction quickly allowed him to launch a King’s Indian-style assault with out going through the same old counterplay, and Keymer’s place deteriorated quickly. White’s queen was trapped within the middlegame, leaving Pragg on the verge of mathematical qualification.
The Indian GM, who had gained the Saint Louis Fast & Blitz final month, then gained the opening blitz sport regardless of having stood worse, turning the place round after Keymer didn’t foresee a pressured mate in three strikes. This consequence settled the semifinal with 4 video games remaining.
The remaining encounters had been nonetheless performed, and Keymer responded by successful all three, lowering the ultimate margin to 19-9 and no less than ending the match on a optimistic word earlier than his third-place contest towards So.
Bent Larsen (1935–2010) was the best chess participant in Danish historical past, and for a time, the second-strongest participant within the Western world behind Bobby Fischer. Between 1954 and 1971, he gained the Danish Championship six occasions, and achieved quite a few worldwide match victories all through his profession.
Free video pattern: Introduction to Bent Larsen by Peter Heine Nielsen
Free video pattern: Introduction to the Opening Section
Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu v. Vincent Keymer | Photograph: Lennart Ootes
It has been a profitable run on the Saint Louis tournaments for Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu | Photograph: Lennart Ootes
Caruana 18-12 So
Caruana entered Monday with a two-point benefit after successful the bonus blitz sport that adopted two attracts within the classical part. Somewhat than forcing issues within the fast portion, he protected that lead with two managed attracts.
The primary fast sport noticed So make use of the Berlin Defence, and Caruana was unable to create severe successful probabilities. The second featured Queen’s Gambit Declined and was equally balanced, leaving Caruana, the defending champion, nonetheless in entrance earlier than the 4 blitz video games.
Caruana then elevated his benefit within the first blitz encounter. So’s 20…Nd7? was a expensive error, dropping a pawn and leaving his place troublesome to carry. Caruana transformed to maneuver 4 factors clear general.
So got here near lowering the deficit within the subsequent sport, reaching a successful place earlier than Caruana discovered a queen manoeuvre that generated perpetual verify.
Together with his margin intact, Caruana solely wanted to keep away from defeat within the following sport to clinch the match.
Taking part in black, So replied to 1.e4 with 1…g6 in a typical try to maintain the sport unbalanced whereas in a must-win state of affairs. Caruana made efficient use of his area benefit and finally trapped his opponent’s knight on h5.
The consequence settled the semifinal earlier than the final blitz sport, which resulted in a 54-move draw and accomplished an 18-12 victory.
Caruana will now have the prospect to retain the GCT Finals title and develop into the primary participant to win the occasion in consecutive years. Pragg, in the meantime, will probably be aiming for his first title within the competitors – final 12 months, he misplaced within the semifinals towards Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in São Paulo. Following the drawing of heaps, Pragg may have black within the opening classical sport of the ultimate, whereas So will start with black towards Keymer within the third-place match.
Fabiano Caruana taking part in white towards Wesley So | Photograph: Lennart Ootes
Defending champion Fabiano Caruana through the drawing of heaps for the ultimate match set to begin on Tuesday | Photograph: Lennart Ootes
