Vincent Keymer wins Super Chess Classic Romania on his Grand Chess Tour debut

For this achievement, Keymer received a total of $131,250, including his share of the $125,000 classic win bonus, distributed among players based on their total tournament wins.

“Vincent's performance in Bucharest was an outstanding example of how the new generation of elite players are rising to the level of one of the biggest stages in world chess.” said Michael Khodarkovsky, Executive Director of GCT. “It is remarkable to see a talented young man on the rise win a major title against a group of world-class players. We believe the fans are witnessing the future of elite chess in real time.”

Fabiano Caruana finished second, staying in the title race until the final round, while World Championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov took third with an outstanding performance. The competition was one of great intensity throughout the nine rounds, including the withdrawal of Alireza Firouzja, forced to abandon the tournament due to a persistent ankle injury.

“Congratulations to Vincent Keymer for an outstanding performance and a well-deserved title“, he declared Augusta Dragic, President of the Super Foundation. “We also thank all participants for the exceptional quality of play, fair play and dedication demonstrated throughout the Super Chess Classic Romania, making this event a true celebration of elite chess at the highest level.“

The partnership between the National Bank of Romania and the Super Foundation brought a historic first this year: Super Chess Classic Romania 2026 was the first chess tournament in the world hosted by a central bank, and the NBR Museum proved to be an exceptional setting for nine rounds of performance chess.

At the closing ceremony, all players received a chess-themed commemorative coin – the first of its kind in Romania's history – issued by the State Mint in a limited edition, in collaboration with the National Bank. The prizes were awarded by Augusta Dragic and Cristian Popa, representative of the National Bank of Romania.

Super Chess Classic Romania 2026 final ranking

“I still haven't fully realized what happened. It was an extraordinary event for meKeymer stated.I am very happy with my performance, especially after a difficult moment in the middle of the tournament. This is the most important win of my career so far. I prepared less and focused more on conserving the mental energy needed to succeed. I want to thank the organizers of the Grand Chess Tour, my coach Peter, my father and all the fans who supported and encouraged me.”

Chronicle of the final round, signed MMI Andrei Murariu

Vincent Keymer – Jorden van Forest

After a game where he risked everything, Vincent Keymer got a well-deserved victory. Although the opening did not seem to bring him an advantage, the position changed with Van Foreest's pawn sacrifice. A series of good moves by the winner helped him stabilize the position, and the material advantage he gained also brought him the decisive point.

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave – Fabiano Caruana

The match between Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Fabiano Caruana started very sharply. The theoretical duel was won by the latter, but the position got complicated in the middle game, and at one point Fabiano had the opportunity to gain the advantage with a tactical shot. Unfortunately for him, he missed this opportunity and the position remained tied. By the end, neither player had a chance to gain an advantage, and the game ended in a draw.

Anish Giri – Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu

Coming off a tough round, both Giri and Praggnanandhaa played cautiously, neither of them wanting to take any unnecessary risks. The position was equal from the beginning, and this balance was preserved until the end of the game. Interestingly, black had to return the pieces to the starting positions to tie the game, which is rarer in a chess game. In the end, the game ended in a draw by repeating the moves.

Javokhir Sindarov – Wesley So

An interesting theoretical duel was between Javokhir Sindarov and Wesley So. Both players knew the prepared version at home by move 20! The position reached an equal end, played exemplary by both chess players. Sindarov finished the match with almost the same thinking time as he started it, a very rare thing, a sign that he knew his home training very well.

Super Chess Classic 2026 was organized in partnership with the Romanian Chess Federation, contributing to the common mission of making chess, a sport that develops critical thinking, logic and character of young people, an essential component of Romanian education.

Next stages GCT 2026

GCT heads to Zagreb for Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia, which will take place from June 29 to July 6, 2026. As the tour's second rapid and blitz event, the competition will feature a total prize pool of $200,000 and feature six full-tour entrants along with four wildcard players: Gukesh Dommaraju (India), Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan), Bogdan-Daniel Deac (Romania) and Ivan Saric (Croatia).

Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia: 29 June – 6 July 2026, Zagreb, Croatia

Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz: July 31 – August 7, 2026, Saint Louis, USA

Sinquefield Cup: August 8–21, 2026, Saint Louis, USA

Grand Chess Tour Finals : August 21 – 28, 2026, Saint Louis, USA

The 2026 season of the Grand Chess Tour offers a prize pool of $2,000,000, distributed between rapid and blitz events, classic tournaments and the GCT finals, and supported by the Super Foundation and the Saint Louis Chess Club, two mainstays of world chess that have supported the circuit for over a decade.

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