For four straight days in Saint Louis, Javokhir Sindarov chased R. Praggnanandhaa with everything he had. On Day 1 of the Blitz section, Sindarov turned up the heat from the start. Praggnanandhaa may have been in inspired form, but a red-hot Sindarov is as relentless an opponent as they come. His wins over Vincent Keymer, van Foreest, and Pérez, combined with six draws, gave him six points from nine Blitz rounds. The Indian, who recently won a historic maiden Norway Chess title, will face the entire field one final time with nine more Blitz rounds remaining.