GM Vincent Keymer has won the Super Chess Classic Romania 2026 and its $100,000 first place prize after defeating GM Jorden van Foreest in the only decisive game of the the ninth and final round, avoiding playoffs. GM Fabiano Caruana, who entered the day sharing the lead with Keymer, missed one big chance to get the advantage over GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave before a draw which clinched second place for Caruana. The other two games were relatively quick draws; GM Anish Giri and GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu were already eliminated from first place contention, and GM Javokhir Sindarov vs. GM Wesley So also saw few fireworks.
This is a flash report. Come back later to read the full article here!
There was just one decisive game, but it also decided the tournament.
Round 9 Results
Standings After Round 9
Image: Courtesy of the Grand Chess Tour.
Keymer vs. Van Foreest is naturally our Game of the Day. The analysis by GM Rafael Leitao will be added soon!
Keymer heads now to Norway Chess which begins almost immediately, on May 25, where he will try to win consecutive major tournaments.
How to watch?
The 2026 Super Chess Classic Romania was the second event on the 2026 Grand Chess Tour and ran from May 13 to 23 at the Museum of the National Bank of Romania in Bucharest. It was 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 was $475,000.
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