R PraggnanandhaaIndian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa won his first Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz title in impressive style, wrapping up the championship with one round still to play.The 20-year-old finished with 23.5 points, staying well ahead of Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov, who ended the event with 22 points.Strong finish in blitz sectionPraggnanandhaa entered the blitz section after narrowly winning the rapid event. He continued his good form, losing only one game in the blitz and collecting 11.5 points out of a possible 18.His consistent performances helped him comfortably secure the title.Sindarov finished second, while American Grandmaster Wesley So claimed third place with 20.5 points.Big boost in Grand Chess Tour standingsThe victory lifted Praggnanandhaa to second place in the overall Grand Chess Tour (GCT) standings.The result has significantly improved his chances of qualifying for the Grand Chess Tour Finals, which will be held later this year.He now needs another strong performance in the final tournament of the season, which will be played in the classical format.Firouzja's withdrawal helps Indian starPraggnanandhaa also benefited from the withdrawal of France's Alireza Firouzja from the remaining Grand Chess Tour events.Firouzja pulled out because of scheduling issues, and as per tournament rules, all the points he had earned this season were removed from the overall standings.Eyes on another strong resultThe final Grand Chess Tour event begins on Sunday and will be played under the classical format.A top-three finish there would further strengthen Praggnanandhaa's impressive season. Earlier this year, he also won the Norway Chess title after finishing ahead of world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen.Final standingsR Praggnanandhaa (India) – 23.5 pointsJavokhir Sindarov (Uzbekistan) – 22 pointsWesley So (USA) – 20.5 pointsLevon Aronian (USA) – 19 pointsFabiano Caruana (USA) – 17 pointsLenier Dominguez Perez (USA) – 17 pointsJorden van Foreest (Netherlands) – 17 pointsAnish Giri (Netherlands) – 15.5 pointsVincent Keymer (Germany) – 14.5 pointsAwonder Liang (USA) – 14 points