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Praggnanandhaa leads after rapid phase at St. Louis, blitz next
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The Hindu - Home
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa topped the rapid section of the St. Louis Rapid and blitz, scoring 12 points out of a possible 18 to keep his hopes alive for a place in the Grand Chess Tour (GCT) finals to be held later this year.
Had Praggnanandhaa defeated van Foreest, he would have entered the blitz section with a more comfortable lead, a margin that could have proved crucial in his pursuit of the overall title.
With the rapid section behind him, the Indian will now turn his attention to the 18-game blitz segment, where each win carries one point.
While Sindarov remains a huge threat being just a point behind Praggnanandhaa, Keymer is the other Grandmaster who can make anyone bite the dust when he is in good form.
Wesley So (USA, 11); 4-7: Levon Aronian, Leinier Dominguez Perez (USA), Anish Giri (Ned) Vincent Keymer (Ger) 9 each; 8-9; Fabiano Caruana (USA), Jorden Van Foreest (Ned) 8 each; 10.