SAINT LOUIS, August 18, 2025

U.S. Grandmaster Levon Aronian emerged victorious at the 2025 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, conquering 27 rounds of fierce competition in one of the 2025 Grand Chess Tour’s (GCT) most electrifying events.

It feels great. I’ve been playing solidly, and maybe my opponents were more nervous than I was. Winning here in the city where I live, with my family and friends rooting for me, is really special. My fans and loved ones stick with me even when my play isn’t perfect, and that motivates me to keep fighting. At the end of the day, chess brings me joy, and with my family’s support—even my daughter telling me to ‘go kill them’—I feel inspired to keep going. This win means a lot, and I’m happy to add my name to this beautiful trophy.

— Levon Aronian

The tournament, hosted by the Saint Louis Chess Club, awarded $175,000 in prizes including $40,000 to Aronian for his first place finish, $30,000 to GM Fabiano Caruana from the United States for finishing second place and $25,000 to GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave from France for third place.

What an incredible Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz—brilliant games, fighting spirit, and a field stacked with the very best in the world. Levon Aronian showed tremendous consistency under pressure and thoroughly deserves this win. And what a performance by the Americans, delivering a remarkable 1-2 finish that highlights the strength and depth of U.S. chess. Once again, Saint Louis has proven why it is the chess capital of the nation.

— Yasser Seirawan, Chief Commentator and Spokesperson for the Saint Louis Chess Club

Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz Results

Current Grand Chess Tour Leaderboard

GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave has a commanding lead, with GM Levon Aronian moving into second position following his win. GM Alireza Firouzja and GM Fabiano Caruana round out the top four, as the participants head into the final leg of the series, 2025 Sinquefield Cup.

The 2025 Sinquefield Cup will run Monday, August 18-Thursday, August 28 in Saint Louis, with live commentary from GMs Yasser Seirawan and Peter Svidler and International Master Nazi Paikidze starting at 12:20PM CDT. Tune in to the Saint Louis Chess Club’s Twitch & YouTube channels.

The tour will come to a dramatic conclusion during the GCT Finals, with rounds set to begin on September 28, 2025 during its first-ever stop in South America in the vibrant Brazilian City of São Paulo. The top four finishers of the regular season of five tournaments will compete for an additional $350,000 in the knockout matches.

This year’s GCT participants are competing for a prize purse of $1.5 million over the course of the full tour. The prize fund is provided by the 2025 Grand Chess Tour major sponsors Superbet Foundation and Saint Louis Chess Club, both non-profit organizations that support chess education and the mission to expand the game of chess to a worldwide audience.