Levon Aronian of the United States won the St Louis Rapid and Blitz chess tournament by securing the title with a dominant performance, while reigning world champion D Gukesh finished joint sixth.
It was a convincing win for Levon Aronian, who clinched the title with 24.5 points and won the event with two rounds to spare. Fabiano Caruana of the United States took the second place with 21.5 points, followed by France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave who came third with 21 points. Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov finished fourth with 20.5 points, while Wesley So secured the fifth place with 19 points.
Gukesh showed promise on the final day, scoring 3.5 points in his first four games. He drew against Aronian before defeating Americans Shankland and Wesley So, and Uzbek Grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov. However, his momentum slowed in the last five games, where he managed three draws and suffered two losses, ending with a total of 18 points. He shared sixth place with Vietnam's Liem Le Quang.
This victory marked Aronian's second consecutive tournament win, following his triumph at the Freestyle Grand slam in Las Vegas. The 42-year-old American demonstrated dominant form throughout the event.
The chess action continues as Gukesh prepares for the upcoming Sinquefield Cup, scheduled to begin in two days. He will be joined by fellow Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa in this last event before the Grand Chess Tour finals. The Sinquefield Cup will feature Classical chess format, which is considered Gukesh's forte, marking a shift from the rapid and blitz formats of the current tournament.
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