Bengaluru: “You can’t win all tournaments, not this year!” Wesley So told Praggnanandhaa right after their playoffs for first place in the Sinquefield Cup, as they both cracked up. They were tied for first after the classical games at 5.5/9 points before So edged out the young Indian grandmaster in the playoffs.

Indian chess grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa gestures during a game in the Tata Steel Chess India tournament in Kolkata on November 17, 2024. (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR / AFP) (AFP)

At the Norway Chess in June, So was tournament leader heading into the final round, with Pragg half a point behind him. The 21-year-old Indian ended up winning in the final round – making it four classical wins in a row to walk away with the title, while So drew his game and wound up in second place.

Earlier this month, Pragg won the Saint Louis rapid and blitz title. He has, by virtue of finishing in the top four of the Sinquefield Cup, already qualified for the Grand Chess Tour Finals, which begin on Saturday.

The two rapid games between them were drawn and So went on to claim tournament win with a draw with the Black pieces in the Armageddon game. “It’s always a little disappointing when you’re so close and miss it, but I think overall it’s great that I managed to make it to the Finals,” Praggnanandhaa said.

In the final round, Praggnanandhaa drew against Giri while So and Sindarov agreed to a draw which brought on playoffs for first place between the Indian and the American.

After their first two rapid games were drawn, Pragg won the draw of lots ahead of the Armageddon game.

He chose the White pieces and had five minutes against four while So had the draw odds. Pragg was doing well on the board, nearly winning but without time increment, he struggled with deciding when to pause and think. Had he done so he would have found the win, he later said. A draw with Black was enough for So to claim victory, it’s his second Sinquefield Cup title in a row and third overall.

It’s been an impressive year for Pragg, who’s won titles across formats. Next, he’ll take a crack at the Grand Chess Tour Finals.