Some players chase glory. Others take equal delight in denying it to someone. Jorden van Foreest belongs to the latter category. The Dutch Grandmaster calls it “fun, at least” to play the spoiler, by injecting a bit of chaos into a tournament that might otherwise go according to the usual script.
At the 2026 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz Tournament, he nearly pulled it off. In the ninth and final round of the Rapid section, Foreest took down R. Praggnanandhaa with a clinical finish, threatening to derail the Indian’s dream run. For a moment, at least, the spoiler had done his job.
But van Foreest’s mischief had come a little too late. Praggnanandhaa’s emphatic Rapid run over the first eight rounds, over three days, had already built a cushion too thick to crack. His ship was already in calm waters and despite the late defeat, he finished as the leader of a strong 10-man field in Missouri.
Despite the loss in the final round, Praggnanandhaa finished on top with 12 points, holding off arch-rival Javokhir Sindarov, whose stock is at an all-time high. Barring the solitary defeat to van Foreest, the ever-consistent Indian racked up four wins and as many draws, ending the Rapid section with an impressive +3 result. There are still 18 Blitz rounds to follow.
Sindarov, the World Championship challenger from Uzbekistan, remained unbeaten throughout the Rapid section and has 11 points.
R. Praggnanandhaa contemplates his next move during Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz 2026. (Credit: Crystal Fuller/Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz 2026)
Starting with a clean slate
If there is one defining strength of Praggnanandhaa, it is his ability to learn from his lows and make amends quickly. The last time he played at the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, he failed to register a single win in the Rapid event, finishing dead last in 2024. This time, he exorcised those ghosts and started with a clean slate.
On Day 1, after a draw against USA’s Leinier Dominguez Perez, Praggnanandhaa shifted gears. Game 2 saw a thematic pawn break, but Armenian-American Levon Aronian mistimed it with 13…c5, allowing White to go a pawn up. Aronian never quite found a way to win it back.
But the Indian’s best game of the day was against World No. 2 Fabiano Caruana, Praggnanandhaa, wielding black, took his chances in a tight space and forced the ever-solid Caruana to crumble. He finished the day as the sole leader, one full point ahead of Sindarov and Wesley So.
On Day 2, when 13 out of 15 games ended without a decisive result, Praggnanandhaa made sure to capitalise on the opportunities that came his way, securing his overall lead.
While he failed to convert a favourable position against Sindarov in the marquee fourth-round clash, his response in the following round was ruthless. Against Awonder Liang, he broke down the American’s paper-thin defence, crushing him to a 32-move defeat with black pieces in a Caro-Kann Defence.
At that stage, his scorecard read 8/10, forcing the entire field to play catch-up.
The 2023 World Cup finalist did slow down over the last four rounds, picking up four points from two draws against Anish Giri and Wesley So, a win over Germany’s Vincent Keymer, and a loss to Van Foreest. Still, it was enough to stay on top, and clinching the Rapid event with room to spare.
The impressive showing in Saint Louis also helped Praggnanandhaa break into the world top 10 in Rapid for the first time, as he reached a career-high rating of 2714.5 on Day 2.
With 18 Blitz rounds to go, each worth one point, and a gruelling schedule that requires playing the entire field twice over the next two days, the challenge is far from over. With Sindarov breathing down his neck, the task only gets steeper as both youngsters are eyeing the fourth spot on the Grand Chess Tour leaderboard to qualify for the GCT Final.
Caruana, Keymer, and Wesley So have already broken away as the top three with hefty leads. That leaves only the fourth spot, currently occupied by Frenchman Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, up for grabs.
Praggnanandhaa will have one final shot at making it to the finals for the second straight year – at the 2026 Sinquefield Cup – which will be played after this event.