R Praggnanandhaa clinched his first-ever Grand Chess Tour title by showcasing exceptional skill and composure at the Superbet Classic. After securing a draw against Levon Aronian in the final classical round, Praggnanandhaa ended up tied for first place with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja, all scoring 5.5 points.
This led to a three-way tiebreaker featuring rapid games with five minutes plus a two-second increment per move. In the initial rapid game, Praggnanandhaa, playing black, fought hard against Firouzja and secured a draw. Firouzja then drew with Vachier-Lagrave in the next game. The decisive moment came in the final rapid game, where Praggnanandhaa outplayed Vachier-Lagrave to claim the title.
Praggnanandhaa scored 1.5 points in the blitz tiebreaks, edging out Firouzja by half a point and Vachier-Lagrave by a full point, marking a strong comeback after last year’s disappointing playoff results. He credited getting some rest before the tiebreaks and expressed gratitude to his second, GM Vaibhav Suri, and coach GM RB Ramesh.
For his victory, Praggnanandhaa took home a cash prize of USD 77,667 (around Rs 66 lakh), a substantial reward reflecting his breakthrough on the international chess stage.
The final round results included Praggnanandhaa’s draw with Aronian, Firouzja’s win over Deac Bogdan-Daniel, and Vachier-Lagrave’s win over Jan Krzysztof. The tiebreak results decisively favored Praggnanandhaa, crowning him the Superbet Classic champion.
