Grand Chess Tour Finals: Praggnanandhaa finishes fourth, Caruana clinches title
Fabiano Caruana triumphs over Maxime Vachier-Lagrave to win the Grand Chess Tour Finals 2025.
The tournament crown went to Fabiano Caruana. (Photo credit: FIDE)
Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa concluded his 2025 Grand Chess Tour Finals campaign in fourth place, earning $40,000.
The 20-year-old Praggnanandhaa faced a formidable challenge against veteran GM Levon Aronian in the third-place match, where the Armenian star sealed victory with three games to spare after a dominant run of three consecutive wins, leaving the Indian Grandmaster unable to respond.
Reflecting on the match, Aronian described a key early error by Praggnanandhaa as “horrendous” but noted the remaining games were played according to regulations.
The tournament crown went to Fabiano Caruana, who delivered a remarkable comeback to claim his second Grand Chess Tour Finals title and the $150,000 top prize.
After losing the opening game to Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Caruana rebounded with three successive victories in blitz and classical games.
MVL almost forced a playoff in the final round but faltered under pressure, ultimately settling for the runner-up position and $100,000.
Caruana described the win as “so prestigious, so difficult,” recalling past rivalries and memorable matches, including a notable victory over Magnus Carlsen in the 2012 Grand Slam Masters Final.
Levon Aronian’s performance against Praggnanandhaa secured him third place and $60,000.
His commanding run highlighted his enduring strength in elite competition, while Praggnanandhaa’s qualification to the finals emphasized his rapid rise in the chess world, joining the ranks of Caruana, MVL, and Aronian.
Looking ahead, the Saint Louis Chess Club will host three high-profile events in October: Clutch Chess: Kasparov vs. Anand (October 6–11), the U.S. Championships (October 11–25), and Clutch Chess featuring Carlsen, Nakamura, Caruana, and Gukesh (October 25–30).
The Grand Chess Tour has celebrated distinguished champions since 2015, including Magnus Carlsen, Wesley So, Hikaru Nakamura, Ding Liren, Alireza Firouzja, and Caruana himself.
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