GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu received the Superbet Chess Traditional Romania 2025, his first Grand Chess Tour victory. He earns $77,667 and 10 GCT factors.
The trail was removed from easy. He drew comfortably in opposition to GM Levon Aronian in his final classical recreation, however two of his chasers managed to win on demand. GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave inflicted a 3rd loss onto GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and GM Alireza Firouzja, from a worse place, outfoxed GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac in a King’s Indian Protection. Finally, Praggnanandhaa defeated Vachier-Lagrave in blitz playoffs to assert the title.
The third occasion of the Grand Chess Tour would be the 2025 SuperUnited Speedy & Blitz Croatia, happening on July 1-6.
Vachier-Lagrave and Firouzja received within the ultimate spherical to squeeze right into a three-way tie for first. It was solely after three blitz video games that adopted that Praggnanandhaa received the title.
Closing Standings After Spherical 9
Praggnanandhaa earned a bonus of $10,000 forward of the 2 different gamers tied in first.
Prize Distribution
We have been handled to playoffs after Praggnanandhaa drew his recreation, and each French members received on demand. In the meantime, all the opposite video games led to attracts.
Vachier-Lagrave, Firouzja Catch Up, However Praggnanandhaa Triumphs
Praggnanandhaa ½-½ Aronian
Praggnanandhaa’s recreation plan was, at first, to play it protected. A draw would assure a minimum of shared first—and within the French Protection Tarrasch Variation that transpired, the Indian grandmaster by no means took a danger. By transfer 18, Praggnanandhaa gained the bishop pair in opposition to bishop vs. knight, a “risk-free place” in his phrases that solely he might win. Aronian held it, no downside, and a draw was first rate information for the event chief, who would change into the event winner.
Vachier-Lagrave 1-0 Duda
On the white aspect of the Ruy Lopez, Arkhangelsk Variation, Vachier-Lagrave sacrificed a pawn and acquired a big time benefit out of the opening—although, one which got here and went a number of instances. By the point Duda performed 21…Qf6, a good transfer however not one Vachier-Lagrave anticipated, he had 43 minutes in opposition to an hour and 29, one much less minute than he had began with.
Regardless of a severe time imbalance, Duda discovered the great sequence of 26…h6, 27…g5!, and 28…Rce8 (the transfer Vachier-Lagrave missed) and rapidly reached an equal heavy-piece endgame. If Duda needed to attract, he had a minimum of two good alternatives to commerce queens, however Vachier-Lagrave urged that the selection of 32…Qg4 (32…Qxf1 would have been protected) “was formidable.” Duda’s subsequent refusal to commerce queens with 34…Re4?? (34…Qe4 was equal) was the decisive mistake, and Vachier-Lagrave had a successful assault beginning with a bit king transfer:
It was a dream come true for Vachier-Lagrave, whereas Duda completed the event in final place. Svidler summarized Duda’s efficiency as follows: “It is actually not the begin to the GCT for Jan-Krzysztof. By his requirements, a really mediocre efficiency within the fast and blitz [in Poland]… and he didn’t shine, it is only a catastrophe right here.”
Deac 0-1 Firouzja
After the opening part, Firouzja appeared extra prone to lose his recreation than to win it. However if you happen to do not consider in magic, you might want to take a look at extra video games within the King’s Indian Protection. Firouzja was ever-resourceful to maintain the sport going, even at the price of objectivity. As our Resident GM Rafael Leitao writes after transfer 18,
Taking a look at this unhappy place for Black, with the advantage of the analysis bar, I imagined that White would have a fast victory. I could not have been extra incorrect: the King’s Indian, and particularly with Firouzja taking part in it, has many assets.
The crucial resolution that might have backfired severely was Firouzja conserving the queens on. He might have groveled in an engame after 16…Qxd1, however 16…Qf6 stored the sport alive, even when it gave White a protected and large benefit. Deac nursed that edge for a lot of the recreation, in reality, however began to lose management when he dropped underneath 5 minutes, nonetheless with eight strikes to make.
Firouzja methodically mounted stress in opposition to the enemy king and had created a multitude by transfer 40 (a multitude the engine calls “equal,” thoughts you). After a single mistake by his opponent, in an already troublesome place for White to play, Firouzja received with a direct assault. Leitao analyzes this thrilling Sport of the Day under.
That meant Praggnanandhaa, Vachier-Lagrave, and Firouzja all made it to the playoffs.
Playoffs
It was the third playoff in 5 years on the Grand Chess Tour. With the award ceremony needing to occur on the identical day, Technical Director Tony Wealthy defined on the printed that tiebreaks needed to be expedient. As a result of we had three gamers, a blitz single round-robin could be performed—no fast video games—and after three video games, we did not attain armageddons.
After a attract Firouzja vs. Praggnanandhaa, after which one other attract Vachier-Lagrave vs. Firouzja, it was all determined within the final recreation, Praggnanandhaa vs. Vachier-Lagrave. What appeared like a heavy-piece endgame headed for one more draw all of the sudden was a tactical melee.
By transfer 34, Black (Vachier-Lagrave) needed to reply two essential questions to be able to draw: how are you going to defend your king, and what are you doing in opposition to my handed c-pawn? 34…Rc2?! was a solution to the second query, controlling the handed pawn, however the reply to the primary query—about king security—was decided after the decisive mistake 36…a5??, with resignation one transfer later. Buying and selling rooks with 34…Ra1 or with the extra good 36…Re2!, in hindsight, would have restricted White’s checkmating potential.
Praggnanandhaa set the report straight after final 12 months. Then, he additionally made it to the playoffs however misplaced all three of his video games. He stated on the award ceremony, “I did not accomplish that properly final time. I assume attending to relaxation a number of hours earlier than the tiebreak definitely helps,” reminding us that he had a comparatively early draw with Aronian after which rested in his lodge room.
He additionally thanked the big group of individuals supporting him: his household, his sponsor Adani Group (extra about that in our article right here), his second who was on the venue, GM Vaibhav Suri, and his coach GM Ramesh R B. Praggnanandhaa beneficial properties 9 score factors and remains to be quantity seven on the planet.
Caruana Misses Out On Playoffs, So Escapes Vs. Abdusattorov
Gukesh ½-½ Caruana
GM Fabiano Caruana was the final participant who might have joined the playoffs, however successful on demand with Black in opposition to the world champion is a tall order. GM Gukesh Dommaraju, who finishes the event some extent above final place, performed extraordinarily solidly to shut out the occasion, and Caruana by no means acquired an opportunity.
Abdusattorov ½-½ So
Straight out of the opening, a Symmetrical English, we had a back-and-forth recreation in GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov vs. GM Wesley So. So sacrificed a pawn and had full compensation with lively piece play—and will have sacrificed one other pawn for a bonus on transfer 20—however then he did not discover essentially the most exact path of counterplay. Though So regained the sacrificed pawn, it wasn’t underneath nice circumstances, and Abdusattorov achieved positional domination.
Planting the knight on d6 on transfer 33 would have left Black paralyzed, and Abdusattorov had one other probability to seek out this concept a transfer later, however even the opposite-color bishop endgame gave White a big benefit. Finally, So managed to carry a two-pawns-down place by blockading the darkish squares.
Abdusattorov finishes fifth, behind Caruana, whereas So is within the four-way tie for sixth-ninth. Each gamers lose underneath 5 score factors, with Abdusattorov retaining his world number-six spot, whereas So drops down two locations to quantity 13.
As for the larger image, Vachier-Lagrave nonetheless leads the Grand Chess Tour standings by ending second within the first two occasions. He is adopted carefully by Praggnanandhaa and Firouzja proper after. Up subsequent: Zagreb!
The 2025 Superbet Romania Chess Traditional is the second occasion on the 2025 Grand Chess Tour and runs from Might 7 to 16 on the Grand Resort Bucharest in Romania. It is a 10-player round-robin with a time management of 90 minutes for 40 strikes, adopted by 30 extra minutes for the remainder of the sport, plus a 30-second increment beginning on transfer one. The prize fund is $350,000.
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