Fabiano Caruana secured his second Grand Chess Tour Finals victory, earning USD 150,000. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave finished as runner-up, receiving USD 100,000.The competition saw Vachier-Lagrave win the opening game, followed by Caruana’s impressive comeback with three consecutive victories. MVL nearly forced a playoff in the final game but faltered under pressure.Levon Aronian claimed third place and USD 60,000 with a commanding performance against Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. Aronian won three straight games, securing the match with three games remaining. Praggnanandhaa finished fourth, earning USD 40,000.The Saint Louis Chess Club will host three upcoming events in October. These include Clutch Chess: Kasparov vs. Anand from October 6-11, the U.S. Championships from October 11-25, and Clutch Chess featuring Carlsen, Nakamura, Caruana, and Gukesh from October 25-30.The Grand Chess Tour has seen distinguished champions since 2015. Magnus Carlsen won in 2015 and 2017, Wesley So in 2016 and 2021, Hikaru Nakamura in 2018, Ding Liren in 2019, Alireza Firouzja in 2022 and 2024, and Fabiano Caruana in 2023 and 2025.Caruana shared his perspective on overcoming the odds in the match: “If you look at it as having to win two out of four games in blitz against Maxime to tie the match, it doesn’t sound too good. But if you think about it as having to win one game, and then it looks like you just lost one game in blitz, then it’s not too bad.”The first game saw Vachier-Lagrave deviate from theory with 13.Qd2. While Caruana had opportunities, he rushed his moves and lost the exchange, ultimately losing the game.Vachier-Lagrave admitted his position was precarious, stating: “It was a matter of both keeping control and finding my chances.”The second game featured a Queen’s Gambit Declined, ending in a draw. Caruana’s comeback began in blitz games, where he scored back-to-back wins to level the score.Caruana continued his momentum with a third consecutive win in another Sveshnikov Sicilian. The final game nearly saw Vachier-Lagrave force a playoff, but he couldn’t capitalise on his winning position.Reflecting on his victory, Caruana expressed: “If I could pick one thing to win this year, I think it would be the Grand Chess Tour. It’s so prestigious, so difficult.”Caruana recalled his previous success in Sao Paulo from the 2012 Grand Slam Masters Final. He defeated Magnus Carlsen for the first time and led the tournament before its continuation in Bilbao, Spain. Carlsen ultimately won in tiebreaks.Caruana reminisced about his long-standing relationships in chess: “Many of the same players, [like] Levon, we played in that tournament. It’s good to still be with the guys who I consider colleagues for so many years, and friends for so many years, and also with Pragg, one of the leaders of the new generation.”In the third-place match, Aronian dominated with three straight victories against Praggnanandhaa. The first game set the tone when Praggnanandhaa made a crucial error.Aronian commented on his opponent’s mistake: “I think this of course is the type of blunder that is very difficult to come back from.”Aronian described Praggnanandhaa’s error as “horrendous,” though the remaining games were played as required by regulations despite the match being decided.
