Commentator or strong GM? Harshit Raja’s inspiring run at Saint Louis Masters

Interview with GM Harshit Raja

Sagar Shah (SS): Harshit, congratulations on a fantastic performance! The Saint Louis Masters 2026 was a powerhouse event. Tell us about the atmosphere and the level of competition you faced.

Harshit Raja (HR): Thank you! It was an insanely strong tournament. When you see a lineup with names like Fabi (Fabiano Caruana) and Andy Woodward, you know it’s elite. It was an invitational event limited to just 100 players, and the strength was evident – my average opponent rating was around 2570 or 2580.

Harshit’s performance at the Saint Louis Masters | Source: Chess-Results

SS: You gained 13 Elo points and finished with a performance rating of 2600+. Walk us through your results.

HR: I was playing very solid throughout. My final tally included a win against Robby Kevlishvili, a loss to Varuzhan Akobian, and seven draws against a very tough field, including Abhimanyu Mishra, Grigoriy Oparin, Alexander Fier and others. My main strategy for this event was to try and play safe and stable, which worked out well for the most part.

Harshit Raja having a light moment with the one and only Fabiano Caruana before the start of the game | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Saint Louis Chess Club

SS: Your game against Grigoriy Oparin was a tactical rollercoaster. You mentioned choosing “coffeehouse complications” over strategic chess. Why was that?

HR: Gregory is a friend from university, and I knew he had prepared something specifically for me because he played a rare line early on. I felt that if I played pure strategic chess, he is much better than me. So, I played the strange move Qe3 to intentionally “muddy the waters” and create complications.

The most critical moment was my move 15.Qd2, where I intentionally gave up my b2-pawn with a check.

I spent about 10 minutes calculating it and realised that if he took the pawn (Bxb2+), I had winning ideas like f4 followed by f3 to deflect his queen. Eventually, Grigoriy found an incredible defensive resource with h6 (later in the game), which led to a perpetual draw.

SS: You also had a very smooth win in the Sicilian Najdorf against Robby Kevlishvili. How are you handling the opening preparation against these active pros?

HR: To be honest, openings are my biggest problem because I’m not as active as these other players. However, I’ve found that once I get out of the opening, I can fight on equal terms with them. In that Najdorf, I was ecstatic to get such a good position with Black after only 13 moves. I stayed patient, didn’t get greedy for pawns and maintained strategic control until the win.

Harshit is known for his Sicilian Najdorfs – the game against Robby was a good example of why! | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Saint Louis Chess Club

SS: Many fans know you now as a commentator. How has that role impacted your perspective as a player?

In the first part of the video series, we will look at White’s four main moves: 6. Bg5, 6. Be3, 6. Be2 and 6. Bc4.

HR: It has actually made me much more “chill” when I play. My friend Aryan (Tari), who was supporting me there, noted that I seem more inspired and calm after doing commentary. I’ve realised I enjoy this mix. If chess were my sole livelihood, the pressure of a bad result – like losing a final round and missing a prize – would be too much to handle. I prefer playing once in a while and truly enjoying the game.

Balancing the role as player and commentator is never easy! | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Saint Louis Chess Club

SS: What’s next on your calendar for 2026?

HR: This year is interesting because there are fewer freestyle events, but we have the Olympiad, the Candidates and the World Championship. I still need to fill up my calendar and figure out which events to cover and which to play. For now, I’m just happy to be back near my original strength and competing decently against some fine opponents!

Having fun and playing some great chess – GM Harshit Raja with GM Denis Kadric and GM Varuzhan Akobian | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Saint Louis Chess Club

The tournament was won by Mikhail Antipov, ahead of so many world-class players – most notably Fabiano Caruana and Andy Woodward | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Saint Louis Chess Club

Mikhail Antipov had drawn his game against Fabi in round 3 itself – his 4 wins in the last 4 rounds was the reason he finished first | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Saint Louis Chess Club

The present and future of American chess – Fabiano Caruana and Andy Woodward | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Saint Louis Chess Club

In this video course, experts (Pelletier, Marin, Müller and Reeh) examine the games of Judit Polgar. Let them show you which openings Polgar chose to play, where her strength in middlegames were, or how she outplayed her opponents in the endgame.

A wonderful photo of the newly wedded Eric Rosen and Irene Sukandar | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Saint Louis Chess Club

GM Harshit Raja joined the Prague Masters livestream on ChessBase India after participating in the Saint Louis tournament