Sinquefield Cup 2025: Wesley So gewinnt
Der Sinquefield Cup 2025 in St. Louis ist die letzte Etappe der Grand Chess Tour vor dem großen Finale und bringt vom 18. bis 28. August zehn Weltklassespieler an die Bretter. Gespielt wird ein klassisches Rundenturnier mit einem Preisfonds von 350.000 Dollar. Mit dabei sind Stars wie Fabiano Caruana, Gukesh Dommaraju, Nodirbek Abdusattorov und Alireza Firouzja. Die Partien beginnen täglich um 21.30 Uhr deutscher Zeit im World Chess Hall of Fame.
Livepartien, Ergebnisse, Tabelle
Torsten Cmiel hebt in seinem Beitrag auf chessescosystem.com die Partien der vier führenden Youngster beim Sinquefield Cup 2025 als eigenes Turnier hervor. Im direkten Vergleich setzte sich Praggnanandhaa durch: Er schlug sowohl Gukesh als auch Firouzja und gewann das Mini-Turnier mit 2,5 Punkten, während Gukesh und Abdusattorov je 1,5 erzielten und Firouzja mit 0,5 Zählern Letzter wurde. Cmiel betont, dass Praggs Siege überzeugend waren und ihm zugleich die Qualifikation für das GCT-Finale in São Paulo eröffneten. Während die anderen drei Elo-Punkte verloren, gilt Pragg 2025 als klarer Gewinner der Generation, die nach Cmiels Einschätzung künftig die Weltmeisterschaft prägen wird.
Wesley So wins 2025 Sinquefield Cup
Wesley So emerged as the winner of the 2025 Sinquefield Cup, edging out Fabiano Caruana and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa in a dramatic blitz playoff. The American grandmaster, who was born in the Philippines, replicated his 2016 success by winning this prestigious event for the second time.
The 2025 Sinquefield Cup—the final classical event and concluding leg of the Grand Chess Tour season—featured a $350,000 prize fund and took place at the World Chess Hall of Fame in St. Louis, Missouri, from August 18–28.
With an exceptionally strong field, the event was fiercely contested, ending with three players tied for first place on 5.5/9. Caruana seized an early lead after scoring back-to-back wins over defending champion Alireza Firouzja and Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
Praggnanandhaa, who opened his campaign with a brilliant first-round victory against World Champion Gukesh D, caught up with the leader in Round 7 after defeating Firouzja. That same round marked a turning point for So, who finally broke his streak of six straight draws by overcoming Gukesh and joining the race for first place.
Heading into the final round, Caruana and Praggnanandhaa led with 5/8, closely followed by Levon Aronian and So on 4.5/8. First, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave made a quick draw with Jan-Krzysztof Duda, securing the top position in the overall GCT standings. Then Aronian, taking a pragmatic decision, split the point with Praggnanandhaa, a result that guaranteed both players spots in the 2025 GCT Finals. Caruana’s draw with Gukesh left So with a chance to force a tie for first.
Rising to the occasion, So outplayed Abdusattorov, scoring a victory on demand and joining the leaders. A three-way blitz playoff was held to determine the champion.
In the first game, Praggnanandhaa defeated Caruana after capitalizing on a crucial mistake by the American on move 24. In the second, So dismantled Praggnanandhaa’s queenside defense, forcing resignation. With this win, Wesley needed only a draw against Caruana to clinch the title—and he delivered, achieving this so-much-needed result after a hard-fought battle.
Despite his triumph in the Sinquefield Cup, So narrowly missed qualification for the Grand Chess Tour Finals, falling short by just half a point. The Finals, featuring Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Fabiano Caruana, Levon Aronian, and Praggnanandhaa R, and will be held from September 28 to October 3 in São Paulo, Brazil.
Photos: Lennart Ootes and Crystal Fuller | Saint Louis Chess Club
Official website: grandchesstour.org/
