Overview
- So, Caruana and Praggnanandhaa tied on 5.5/9 in classical play, triggering a 5+2 blitz round-robin tiebreak.
- So defeated Abdusattorov in Round 9 to reach the tie, then beat Praggnanandhaa and drew with Caruana to score 1.5/2 and take the title.
- Praggnanandhaa finished runner-up after beating Caruana in the playoff, securing a Grand Chess Tour Finals berth alongside Vachier-Lagrave, Caruana and Aronian.
- Chief arbiter Chris Bird rejected a lighthearted proposal to split the title, enforcing the prescribed playoff format.
- World champion D Gukesh finished eighth and fell out of GCT contention, while Abdusattorov’s lone Round 8 win over Firouzja could not prevent a last-place finish as focus now turns to the Grand Swiss in Uzbekistan and the São Paulo finals.