Chess · Worth knowing

The Grand Chess Tour Finals semifinals are down to rapid and blitz.

Following yesterday's classical carnage, Praggnanandhaa carries a 9–6 lead over Vincent Keymer into the blitz rounds, while Fabiano Caruana edges Wesley So 18–12 after winning a tiebreak that could have gone either way [Quelle: The Week in Chess]. Both semifinal winners are running on fumes—27 games of rapid and blitz plus classical rounds across three weeks is the kind of attrition that turns sharp players into blunderers. Pragg's six-point cushion should hold, but Caruana has learned how to salvage draws when exhausted.

The finals match unfolds Thursday; expect fatigue to decide it.

The champion will emerge from a drained pool.

Praggnanandhaa and Fabiano Caruana are almost certain to meet in Thursday's championship match, both advancing on the back of classical chess that rewarded preparation over endurance [Quelle: TWIC]. Pragg has the momentum and the match experience against midfield opposition; Caruana has the tournament pedigree and a knack for converting blitz chaos into half-points. The third-place match (So versus Keymer) wraps up this gauntlet by August 27.

Peak circuit chess: three time controls, one week, zero margin for error.