Latest news with #GrandChessTour
Economic Times
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Economic Times
Praggnanandhaa wins Superbet Classic after a tough tiebreak
Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France to win his first-ever tournament on the Grand Chess Tour by showcasing his supremacy in the the Superbet Classic here. The Indian, after drawing with the Armenian-American GM Levon Aronianin in the final round, was assured of a tie for the first place. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja also won to match Praggnanandhaa on 5.5 points. This led to a tiebreaker between the three, with five minutes and a two-second increment after every move. In the first game with black pieces, Praggnanandhaa had to work hard in a slightly difficult position against Firouzja but the end result was a draw. In the second game Firouzja drew with Vachier-Lagrave. In the last game of the event, Praggnanandhaa crashed through the defences of Vachier-Lagrave earn the top prize. The Indian scored 1.5 points in his blitz games, half a point more than Firouzja and one more than the other French Grandmaster. It was a sweet comeback for Praggnanandhaa after last year's debacle when he lost all his games in the play-offs. "I didn't do so well last time. I guess getting to rest a few hours before the tiebreak certainly helps," Praggnanandhaa said at the prize-giving ceremony. After his relatively early draw with Aronian in the Classical game, the Indian had rested in his room for a few hours. Praggnanandhaa also thanked his second for the tournament, GM Vaibhav Suri, and his permanent trainer Grandmaster RB Ramesh on the occasion. The Indian won a cash award of USD 77,667 (around Rs 66 lakh) for his efforts. Results (Round 9): R Praggnanandhaa (Ind, 5.5) drew with Levon Aronian (USA, 4); Deac Bogdan-Daniel (Rou, 4) lost to Alireza Firouzja (Fra, 5.5); Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra, 5.5) beat Jan Krzysztof (Pol, 3); Wesley So (4) drew with Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb, 4.5); D Gukesh (Ind, 4) drew with Fabiano Caruana (USA, 5). Tiebreak result: Praggnanandhaa drew with Firouzja; Firouzja drew with Vachier-Lagrave; Praggnanandhaa beat Vachier-Lagrave.
Business Wire
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Business Wire
Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu Wins 2025 Superbet Chess Classic Romania in Thrilling Playoff
BUCHAREST, Romania & SAINT LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a thrilling playoff finale, Indian Grandmaster (GM) Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu emerged victorious as the 2025 Superbet Chess Classic Romania champion, capturing his first-ever Grand Chess Tour title during the second leg of the elite global series. Indian Grandmaster Wins Second Leg of the Grand Chess Tour; Takes Home $77,667 Prize Share 'It feels great to win a Grand Chess Tour event,' said Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. 'Last year, I came close but fell short in the tiebreak, so having a few hours to rest beforehand this time made a real difference—the games can get so intense. I've been working on playing more ambitiously, and I'm incredibly grateful to my support team for helping me get here.' GMs Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja won in the final round to squeeze into a three-way tie for first. It was only after three playoff blitz games that Praggnanandhaa won the title. Firouzja and Vachier-Lagrave both won $67,667. 'Superbet Chess Classic 2025 was a truly exciting tournament from the very first round. The mix of experienced grandmasters and rising young talents created an atmosphere of fighting chess that lasted throughout the event. For the second year in a row, the final round brought a dramatic climax, with a tie-break among the top three players. This tournament once again proves our concept: bringing together established champions and emerging stars from around the world, many of whom are already part of the chess elite. We are proud to be part of such a remarkable event,' said Michael Khodarkovsky, GCT Executive Director. _________________________ 1 Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu won the event playoffs to secure first place. Expand 'Congratulations to Praggnanandhaa on his first Grand Chess Tour victory at the Superbet Chess Classic in Romania. Over nine days of intense competition, the tournament showcased the extraordinary talent of every participant. We are especially proud of Romanian player Bogdan Deac and his impressive performance. A heartfelt thank you to all the players for making this an unforgettable event, and to the chess fans around the world who followed each move with enthusiasm,' said Augusta Dragic, President of the Superbet Foundation. Next up, marking the midway point of the Grand Chess Tour, the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia —sponsored by the Superbet Foundation —kicks off on July 1 in Zagreb. Following the same fast-paced format as the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland, this major tour stop will feature seven full-tour players and three wildcards, including World #1 GM Magnus Carlsen. Live commentary begins at 8:00 a.m. CDT with GMs Yasser Seirawan, Cristian Chirila, and Peter Svidler, IM Nazi Paikidze, and WGM Anastasia Karlovich on the Saint Louis Chess Club's Twitch & YouTube channels. The remaining 2025 tour schedule will include: SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia: June 30-July 7, 2025 in Zagreb, Croatia Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz: August 9-17, 2025 in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA Sinquefield Cup: August 16-29, 2025 in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA GCT Finals: September 26-October 4, 2025 in São Paulo, Brazil GCT participants are currently competing for a recently increased prize purse of $1.6 million over the course of the 2025 season. The prize fund for each of the two classical tournaments will be $350,000 and $175,000 per event for rapid and blitz. Top four finishers of the regular season of five tournaments will compete for the purse of additional $350,000 in the knockout matches at the GCT finals. For more information, visit About the Grand Chess Tour The Grand Chess Tour is a circuit of international events, each demonstrating the highest level of organization for the world's best players. The legendary Garry Kasparov, one of the world's greatest ambassadors for chess, inspired the Grand Chess Tour and helped solidify the partnership between the organizers. For more information about the tour, please visit About the Superbet Foundation Since 2019, Superbet Foundation has made chess one of its core initiatives by organizing the first tournament of the Grand Chess Tour in Bucharest. The Foundation is committed to establishing a tradition of Grand Chess Tour tournaments within the Romanian and Polish chess communities. For more information, visit About the Saint Louis Chess Club The Saint Louis Chess Club is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons and special lectures. Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Saint Louis Chess Club is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit
United News of India
17-05-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
Praggnanandhaa title win at Superbest Chess in Romania a defining moment : Stalin
Chennai, May 17 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin congratulated chess prodigy GM Praggnanandhaa for winning the Superbet Chess Classic 2025 in Romania and termed it as a defining moment in Indian chess. In a post on X, he said "Congratulations to our Chennai pride, Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa, on winning the prestigious Superbet Chess Classic 2025 in Romania—his maiden Grand Chess Tour title!". His brilliance across classical and blitz rounds showcased extraordinary composure and tactical depth, he said. "Tamil Nadu celebrates this defining moment in Indian chess!", he said. UNI GV 1600
New Indian Express
17-05-2025
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Praggnanandhaa wins Superbet Classic after a tough tiebreak
BUCHAREST: Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France to win his first-ever tournament on the Grand Chess Tour by showcasing his supremacy in the Superbet Classic here. The Indian, after drawing with the Armenian-American GM Levon Aronianin in the final round, was assured of a tie for the first place. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja also won to match Praggnanandhaa on 5.5 points. This led to a tiebreaker between the three, with five minutes and a two-second increment after every move. In the first game with black pieces, Praggnanandhaa had to work hard in a slightly difficult position against Firouzja but the end result was a draw. In the second game Firouzja drew with Vachier-Lagrave. In the last game of the event, Praggnanandhaa crashed through the defences of Vachier-Lagrave earn the top prize. The Indian scored 1.5 points in his blitz games, half a point more than Firouzja and one more than the other French Grandmaster. It was a sweet comeback for Praggnanandhaa after last year's debacle when he lost all his games in the play-offs. "I didn't do so well last time. I guess getting to rest a few hours before the tiebreak certainly helps," Praggnanandhaa said at the prize-giving ceremony. After his relatively early draw with Aronian in the Classical game, the Indian had rested in his room for a few hours. Praggnanandhaa also thanked his second for the tournament, GM Vaibhav Suri, and his permanent trainer, Grandmaster RB Ramesh on the occasion. The Indian won a cash award of USD 77,667 (around Rs 66 lakh) for his efforts. Results (Round 9): R Praggnanandhaa (Ind, 5.5) drew with Levon Aronian (USA, 4); Deac Bogdan-Daniel (Rou, 4) lost to Alireza Firouzja (Fra, 5.5); Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra, 5.5) beat Jan Krzysztof (Pol, 3); Wesley So (4) drew with Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb, 4.5); D Gukesh (Ind, 4) drew with Fabiano Caruana (USA, 5). Tiebreak result: Praggnanandhaa drew with Firouzja; Firouzja drew with Vachier-Lagrave; Praggnanandhaa beat Vachier-Lagrave.
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First Post
17-05-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Praggnanandhaa wins Superbet Chess Classic, but world champion Gukesh's form raises concerns
Chess world champion, D Gukesh of India, had another tough outing as he continues to struggle for form in 2025 after winning the World Chess Championship. read more R Praggnanandhaa won the Superbet Chess Classic in Romania but D Gukesh had a tough time in the tournament. Images: Grand Chess Tour on X Indian chess Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa secured his second big title of 2025 on Friday as he won the Superbet Chess Classic Romania 2025, in contrast to world champion and compatriot D Gukesh, who finished joint sixth to ninth in the 10-player field. This is the first Grand Chess Tour victory for the 19-year-old Praggnanandhaa, who took a prize money of $77,667 (Rs 66,48,345 approximately). Earlier, he won the Tata Steel Chess 2025 . STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Praggnanandhaa's victory, however, wasn't clear-cut as he was tied for the first position with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja at the end of the nine rounds of classical chess. Praggnanandhaa eventually won a three-way tiebreaker to emerge as the winner. Praggnanandhaa wins title in tiebreaker The first two games in the tiebreaker — Praggnanandhaa vs Firouzja and Vachier-Lagrave vs Firouzja — ended in draws. Praggnanandhaa clinched the title in the last blitz tiebreaker game by beating Vachier-Lagrave. What makes Praggnanandhaa's victory even more special is that he clinched the title despite managing seven draws in the nine rounds of the main event. Ahead of the final round, Praggnanandhaa had the sole lead, but he drew against Levon Aronian in the last game while Firouzja and Vachier-Lagrave drew level by winning their last matches. Gukesh's poor form continues in Romania The 18-year-old world champion from India, Gukesh, however, had a tough time as his poor form continues. After finishing 11th in the Paris leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam tour , the Chennai youngster would be hoping to turn around his fortunes in Bucharest, but it wasn't to be. The Indian Grandmaster only scored 4/9 with one win, six draws and two defeats. By the end of the seventh round in Bucharest, Gukesh was tied last. While he drew his match against Praggnanandhaa, he was beaten in 69 moves by Firouzja and in just 31 moves by Vachier-Lagrave. His only victory came against Aronian. While Gukesh is only 18 and his game is still developing, his form has become a concern as he gets ready to take world No.1 Magnus Carlsen at Norway Chess on 25 May. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
