After a draw in their direct encounter, GMs Fabiano Caruana and Vincent Keymer lead the Super Chess Classic Romania 2026 ahead of the last round. GM Javokhir Sindarov scored his second win in a row against GM Jorden van Foreest, who started the round in shared first. In the other decisive game, GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac scored his first win of the event against GM Anish Giri, who had been a half-point behind the leaders. In the longest game, GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave finally escaped massive danger against GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu to secure a half-point.
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The last round is two hours early, on Saturday, May 23, starting at 7:10 a.m. ET / 13:10 CEST / 4:40 p.m. IST.
Half the games were decisive, and neither draw was boring. Both featured chances for one of the sides.
Round 8 Results
All that leaves Caruana and Keymer still in the lead.
Standings After Round 8
Image: Courtesy of the Grand Chess Tour.
Our Game of the Day, analyzed by GM Rafael Leitao, will be added soon.
Three of the four boards will feature players who could win the event, with Giri vs. Praggnanandhaa being the exception. Deac will earn a full point for Firouzja’s withdrawal, meaning his tournament is already over.
Round 9 Pairings
Image: Courtesy of the Grand Chess Tour.
How to watch?
The 2026 Super Chess Classic Romania is the second event on the 2026 Grand Chess Tour and runs from May 13 to 23 at the Museum of the National Bank of Romania in Bucharest. It’s a 10-player round-robin with a time control of 90 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 30 more minutes for the rest of the game, plus a 30-second increment starting on move one. The prize fund is $475,000.
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