R Praggnanandhaa wins Superbet Chess Classic, his first Grand Chess Tour victory
R Praggnanandhaa won the Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest, Romania. (Image: X)
R
Praggnanandhaa
won the
Superbet Chess Classic Romania 2025
, claiming his first
Grand Chess Tour
victory. He took home $77,667 and 10 GCT points following the title triumph.
The journey, though, was far from easy. He drew his final classical game against
Levon Aronian
, but two of his rivals managed to win on demand.
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
defeated Jan-Krzysztof Duda, while Alireza Firouzja, from a worse position, outmaneuvered Bogdan-Daniel Deac in a King's Indian Defense.
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Ultimately, Praggnanandhaa beat Vachier-Lagrave in
blitz playoffs
to secure the title.
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Undo
Vachier-Lagrave and Firouzja both won their last-round games, tying for first before the tiebreaks. After three blitz games, Praggnanandhaa emerged victorious. He received an extra $10,000 bonus for finishing ahead of the other two players tied for first.
This was the third playoff in five years at the Grand Chess Tour.
Because the award ceremony had to happen on the same day, Technical Director Tony Rich explained that tiebreaks were expedited. With three players involved, a single round-robin blitz was played — no rapid games.
After three games, no winner was decided, and the final decisive game was Praggnanandhaa vs. Vachier-Lagrave. What started as a seemingly drawn heavy-piece endgame suddenly became a tactical scramble.
At the award ceremony, Praggnanandhaa remarked, "I didn't do so well last time. Resting for a few hours before the tiebreak definitely helped," referencing his earlier early draw with Aronian and subsequent rest in his hotel.
His victory earns him nine rating points, keeping him at No. 7 in the world rankings.
The next Grand Chess Tour event is the 2025 SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia, scheduled for July 1-6.
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