Explained: How can Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa qualify for Grand Chess Tour finals?

The race for the 2025 Grand Chess Tour (GCT) finals is heating up at the Sinquefield Cup in Saint Louis, with India’s young stars Dommaraju Gukesh and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa fighting hard to qualify. Both players came into the last leg of the tour needing strong results to secure their spots among the top four and book tickets to Brazil for the GCT finals later this year.

Heading into the event, Praggnanandhaa had the better chance as he was just half a point behind fourth-placed Fabiano Caruana in the overall standings. Gukesh, on the other hand, needed a big result to push himself into the top four as he is currently eighth in the table. The GCT finals are slated to be held from September 27 to October 2.

How can Gukesh and Pragg qualify for the GCT finals?

Praggnanandhaa’s chances of qualifying for the GCT finals look more likely as he already has 20 points in the overall standings. He must finish ahead of Fabiano Caruana at the 2025 Sinquefield Cup to secure a top-four spot, or else outperform either Alireza Firouzja or Levon Aronian by a decent margin.

For Gukesh, the task is tougher because he is sitting on 16 points at eighth place. To qualify for the finals, Gukesh must win the Sinquefield Cup, which will help him reach 29 points. He will then have to hope that at least two of the players above him slip up with poor finishes.

Gukesh and Pragg in trouble?

Things have not gone according to plan for the two Indians so far. In Round 4 on Thursday, August 21, world champion Gukesh survived a scare against French star Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Earlier in the tournament, Gukesh had also been held to a surprise draw by American GM Sam Sevian.

Praggnanandhaa too had a frustrating Round 4 as he was held to another draw by Sevian. The 20-year-old had started the Sinquefield Cup on a strong note with a Round 1 win over compatriot Gukesh but has now drawn three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Fabiano Caruana seized the sole lead by beating Nodirbek Abdusattorov in Round 4. Praggnanandhaa is now joint-second alongside Levon Aronian with a score of 2.5, while Gukesh is in joint-third in a tightly packed table with a score of 2.0.

Praggnanandhaa will face a crucial clash against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in Round 5, while Gukesh will meet Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda.