Grand Chess Tour: How Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa can qualify for GCT finals 2025 via Sinquefield Cup

Each event awards placement points in addition to prize money. The combined points will determine the final standings, with the top four players qualifying for the GCT Finals in Brazil from September 26 to October 4.

Wildcard player Vladimir Fedoseev won the first event in Poland. At the Superbet Chess Classic Romania, a classical event, Praggnanandhaa finished joint first with France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja, winning the event in a tiebreak. Magnus Carlsen, a wildcard in the third event, won the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia, while Levon Aronian clinched the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz.

MVL leads the standings with 28 points from three events and is all but through to the finals. Aronian (23.5), Firouzja (22.5), and Caruana (20) are placed second, third, and fourth, respectively, heading into the Sinquefield Cup. Praggnanandhaa is fifth with 20 points, while Gukesh is eighth with 16.

How can Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh qualify for the GCT finals?

Of the two Indians, Praggnanandhaa has the better chance to qualify, courtesy of his 20 points. He sits just half a point behind the fourth-placed Caruana. The simplest path for Praggnanandhaa is to finish ahead of Caruana in the Sinquefield Cup, which would effectively guarantee him a place in the finals at Caruana’s expense. If Caruana finishes above him, Praggnanandhaa would need to finish 2.5 points ahead of Firouzja or 3.5 points ahead of Aronian to overtake them in the standings.

Praggnanandhaa will face Sevian in the fourth round, while Gukesh will lock horns with Frenchman Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who is among the five players on 1.5 points. (Picture Credit: Grand Chess Tour/Lennart Ootes)

For Gukesh, the best way to qualify would be to win the Sinquefield Cup outright. A sole winner receives 13 points, which would take Gukesh to 29. He would then need at least two of the players above him — Aronian, Firouzja, Caruana, or Praggnanandhaa — to have a poor finish (for example, in the bottom four) to solidify his chances.

Full tour player for GCT 2025

1. Fabiano Caruana (USA)
2. R. Praggnanandhaa (IND)
3. D. Gukesh (IND)
4. Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB)
5. Alireza Firouzja (FRA)
6. Wesley So (USA)
7. Levon Aronian (USA)
8. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA)
9. Jan-Krzysztof Duda (POL)

Placement points awarded in each GCT event

1. 12/13*
2. 10
3. 8
4. 7
5. 6
6. 5
7. 4
8. 3
9. 2
10. 1

Grand Chess Tour 2025 Points Table

(Table updated after  Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz)