R Praggnanandhaa seals Grand Chess Tour St Louid Rapid and Blitz title

New York [US], August 7 (ANI): Indian grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa secured the Grand Chess Tour St Louis Rapid and Blitz title on Friday. rouesnews.click

The 20-year-old drew against Javokhir Sindarov during the penultimate round to seal the tournament with a score of 23/35 points, finishing 1.5 points ahead of everyone else.

Posting on X, the official handle of ChessBase India wrote, “Its 2:16 AM in India right now, and we have huge news coming in from the USA. R. Praggnanandhaa is the Champion of Grand Chess Tour St. Louis Rapid and Blitz with a round to spare! Praggnanandhaa drew against Javokhir Sindarov in the penultimate round to seal the tournament win with a score of 23/35 points – 1.5 points ahead of the field! Big congratulations to Praggnanandhaa and his team on this amazing victory – this is the first Rapid and Blitz tournament which Pragg has won!"

Its 2:16 AM in India right now, and we have huge news coming in from the USA. R. Praggnanandhaa is the Champion of Grand Chess Tour St. Louis Rapid and Blitz with a round to spare!

Praggnanandhaa drew against Javokhir Sindarov in the penultimate round to seal the tournament win… pic.twitter.com/R3J0Y5UvZG

— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) August 6, 2026

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Earlier in June, Praggnanandhaa scripted history by claiming the Norway Chess 2026 crown in Oslo after defeating Germany’s Vincent Keymer in the tenth and final round. The victory completed a remarkable late surge by the Indian star, who registered four consecutive classical wins to secure one of the biggest titles of his career.

Following this, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday felicitated the Indian Grandmaster and presented him with a cash reward of Rs 50 lakh on behalf of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu. The felicitation ceremony was held at the Chief Secretariat in Chennai, where the Chief Minister also played a game of chess with the 20-year-old Grandmaster. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

Ambati Rayudu made a shocking claim about his early career. He accused former BCCI president Shivlal Yadav of trying to ruin his career. Rayudu said this happened when he was a young player at Hyderabad. He eventually made his India debut in 2013 and played 55 ODIs and 6 T20Is.

Rayudu said politics started in his childhood at the Hyderabad Cricket Association. He claimed that Arjun Yadav, Shivlal’s son, was being pushed to play for India. As Rayudu was performing better than Arjun, he said attempts were made to remove him. He said the situation was like cancer and had reached its fourth stage. He felt only BCCI intervention could fix HCA.

Rayudu said he played brilliantly for India-A in 2003-04. But in 2004, the selection committee changed. Shivlal Yadav’s close friends joined the panel. Rayudu claimed he was not given a chance after that. He said they stopped anyone from talking to him for four years. He also alleged that Shivlal Yadav’s younger brother would come drunk and swear in front of his house the day before matches. He said they tried to hurt him mentally.

Rayudu left Hyderabad for Andhra in 2005. During the 2005-06 season, Rayudu and Arjun got into an infamous fight during a Ranji Trophy match between the two teams.

Shivlal Yadav played 35 Tests and 7 ODIs for India between 1979 and 1987. He has been the HCA President. He also served as BCCI supremo on an interim basis in 2014. The accusations paint a picture of a system that failed him. He spoke about the mental torture he endured. He overcame those obstacles to play for India. He finally found success with Chennai Super Kings. He retired as a six-time IPL winner.

Why Ambati Rayudu Missed India’s 2019 World Cup Squad?

Ambati Rayudu was almost certain to be India’s No. 4 batsman for the 2019 World Cup. But a poor run of form and the rise of Vijay Shankar ended his dream.

Rayudu was the fourth-highest run-scorer for India after his return to the team in September 2018. He played 21 matches and scored one century and four fifties. He was the top run-scorer for India in the New Zealand ODI series. He averaged 63.33 in that series. He batted at No. 4 in 14 innings and averaged 42.18 with a strike rate of 85.60.

He was dismissed below 25 on nine occasions. His only half-century outside the subcontinent came against New Zealand on a seaming pitch. The team management also began to have doubts. Kohli said in January that the team was looking to solidify the No. 4 slot. Rayudu was dropped for a few matches during the home series against Australia.

Selection committee chairman MSK Prasad said Rayudu was not dropped for any negative reason. He said Vijay Shankar offered more versatility with his bowling and fielding. That is why he was chosen ahead of Rayudu.

Ambati Rayudu Retired After Winning Sixth IPL Title With CSK

Ambati Rayudu announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket. The announcement came after he won his sixth IPL title with Chennai Super Kings. He took to Twitter to share the news.

Rayudu said it had been an emotional night that ended with a special IPL win. He reflected on his journey, saying he did not imagine such a wonderful career when he started playing cricket as a kid.

He played 55 ODIs for India and scored 1694 runs at an average of 47.05. His best knock was an unbeaten 124. He also played six T20Is for India. He thanked the BCCI and several state associations for their support. He represented Hyderabad, Andhra, Baroda, and Vidarbha in domestic cricket.

In 97 first-class matches, he scored 6,151 runs with 16 centuries. In 178 List-A matches, he scored 5,607 runs with five centuries. In 178 T20 matches, he scored 6,028 runs.

He also thanked Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, the two IPL teams he played for. He represented Mumbai from 2010 to 2017 and CSK from 2018 onward. In 204 IPL matches, he scored 4,348 runs with one century and 22 fifties. He won the IPL title with Mumbai in 2013, 2015, and 2017.

FAQs.

Q. Why did Ambati Rayudu say his career suffered?

A. Ambati Rayudu claimed cricket politics hurt his early career.

Q. How many ODIs did Ambati Rayudu play for India?

A. Rayudu played 55 ODIs for India.

Q. How many IPL titles did Ambati Rayudu win?

A. Rayudu won six IPL titles.

Q. When did Ambati Rayudu retire from Indian cricket?

A. Rayudu retired after winning the 2023 IPL with Chennai Super Kings.

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Para-athlete and Commonwealth Games gold medalist Dilip Gavit could not meet MNS chief Raj Thackeray here even after waiting for nearly two hours, his coach has claimed.

Gavit, who won the gold in the men’s 100m T47 final in the recently concluded Glasgow CWG, had been invited to meet Thackeray, who was touring Nashik, on Thursday, said his coach Vaijanath Kale.

A video showed MNS workers placating Kale and asking him to wait for some more time.

“We were waiting for quite some time….Sir (Thackeray) is busy. We will meet him later,” Kale is heard saying.

A reaction from MNS was not immediately available.

India scripted history in para athletics at the Commonwealth Games, securing a historic one-two finish in the men’s 100m T47 final as Dilip Gavit won the gold and Mohammed Basil Morssinganakath claimed the silver.

WebDesk, Mumbai

India’s R Praggnanandhaa won the Grand Chess Tour (GCT) Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz 2026 title with a round to spare in the early hours of Friday (IST).

The 20-year-old sealed the title with a draw in the penultimate round against Uzbekistan Grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov, who finished second.

Praggnanandhaa dominated the tournament for all five days and never surrendered the lead. Sindarov, who will face Gukesh D in the World Chess Championship later this year, tried to up the ante towards the end but eventually fell short by 1.5 points.

Praggnanandhaa, meanwhile, bagged $50,000 in prize money. “When you see the score, everything looks smooth. But it wasn’t the case. It was crazy. I mean, kudos to Javokhir, he kept the fight to the end,” he told the media after the triumph.

Sindarov, on the other hand, credited the Indian GM but rued his lack of luck.

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