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Wesley So Wins 2025 Sinquefield Cup
Wesley So is the new champion of the 2025 Sinquefield Cup! He claimed victory in St. Louis after a thrilling blitz playoff against Fabiano Caruana and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa.
This is Wesley’s second Sinquefield Cup title, the first coming back in 2016. The win was extra special as the event was the final classical tournament of the Grand Chess Tour 2025 season.
A Battle of Giants
The tournament, held at the World Chess Hall of Fame in St. Louis from August 18–28, had a massive $350,000 prize fund. With some of the world’s strongest players in action, every round was full of excitement.
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Caruana started strong with big wins over defending champion Alireza Firouzja and Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
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Praggnanandhaa stunned the field with a first-round victory over World Champion Gukesh D and later defeated Firouzja to share the lead.
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Wesley So, after six straight draws, broke through in Round 7 by defeating Gukesh and entering the fight for first place.
The Final Push
Before the last round, Caruana and Praggnanandhaa led with 5 points from 8 games. So and Levon Aronian were close behind with 4.5.
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Maxime Vachier-Lagrave secured the overall Grand Chess Tour top spot with a draw against Jan-Krzysztof Duda.
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Aronian and Praggnanandhaa agreed to a draw, which sealed both their spots in the GCT Finals.
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Caruana drew with Gukesh, leaving the door open for So.
And So delivered! He defeated Abdusattorov, forcing a three-way tie for first.
The Playoff Drama
The blitz playoff was pure chess drama:
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Praggnanandhaa beat Caruana after a costly blunder.
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So then outplayed Praggnanandhaa with powerful queenside play.
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In the decider, So held Caruana to a tense draw—enough to secure the 2025 Sinquefield Cup title.
What’s Next?
Although Wesley So lifted the Sinquefield Cup, he narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Grand Chess Tour Finals, finishing just half a point short.
The Finals will feature Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Fabiano Caruana, Levon Aronian, and Praggnanandhaa. They will battle it out in São Paulo, Brazil, from September 28 to October 3, 2025.
Wesley So may have missed the Finals, but his Sinquefield Cup victory cements his status as one of the world’s most resilient champions.
Photos: Lennart Ootes and Crystal Fuller | Saint Louis Chess Club
Source: FIDE CHESS NEWS
