Sports
Praggnanandhaa Earns Over Rs 1 Crore Yet Calls Clutch Chess Finish ‘Little Disappointing’
Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa finished runner‑up at the Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown in Saint Louis, USA, earning more than Rs 1 crore in prize money. He scored 19 points, 1.5 points behind winner Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov, who finished with 20.5 points after a strong final‑day comeback. Fabiano Caruana placed third with 16.5 points and Hikaru Nakamura fourth with 12 points.
In a video posted on X, Praggnanandhaa said, “The clutch chess event has just concluded, and I finished second in the event. It was a really exciting event with a lot of crazy games. Congrats to Javokhir. He played really well at the end on the last day when it mattered the most. And as for me, uh, it is a little disappointing, I was so close to the title, but nevertheless, I'm happy that I fought till the end, and I kept the chances alive.”
Praggnanandhaa’s earnings total USD 109,000 (about Rs 1.04 crore), including his tournament prize and performance bonuses. Sindarov earned USD 168,000 (around Rs 1.60 crore), Caruana USD 81,000 (≈Rs 77.11 lakh), and Nakamura USD 67,000 (≈Rs 63.78 lakh). The prize structure provided a base reward of USD 125,000 for the winner and USD 94,000 for the runner‑up, with additional bonuses for daily victories ranging from USD 1,000 to USD 3,000 and a champion‑only jackpot from drawn games.
Sindarov’s decisive final day began 2.5 points behind Praggnanandhaa, but his three wins and three draws, including a notable victory over Nakamura in the King’s Indian Defence, secured the title. Praggnanandhaa’s final round draw against Caruana and loss to Nakamura ended his title hopes.
Sindarov’s victory provides momentum ahead of his upcoming World Championship match against India’s D Gukesh, scheduled to start in Geneva on 24 November 2026.