Praggnanandhaa Clinches Superbet Chess Classic Romania 2025
Praggnanandhaa Clinches Superbet Chess Classic Romania 2025 in Blitz Playoff
Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa won the Superbet Chess Classic Romania 2025, his first Grand Chess Tour (GCT) title, defeating GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in a thrilling blitz playoff. The 19-year-old from Chennai earned $77,667 and 10 GCT points, solidifying his status as a global chess elite.
The tournament, held from May 7-16 at the Grand Hotel Bucharest, saw Praggnanandhaa tie for first with Vachier-Lagrave and GM Alireza Firouzja at 5.5/9 points after nine classical rounds, necessitating a 5+2 blitz round-robin to decide the champion.
Praggnanandhaa’s path was marked by strategic brilliance. He took the sole lead in round eight after defeating GM Wesley So in a Benko Gambit, showcasing a “model game” with a decisive d-file pawn advantage, per Newsweek Romania.
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In the final classical round, he drew safely against GM Levon Aronian, securing at least a shared first. In the playoffs, his victory over Vachier-Lagrave with White sealed the title. “It’s nice to have this in the bag,” Praggnanandhaa said after his So win, crediting his team, including trainer GM Ramesh R.B. and sponsor Adani Group.
World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju, the top seed, struggled, finishing sixth with 4/9 points, alongside Aronian, So, and GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac, after a round-eight win against Aronian but earlier losses to Firouzja and Vachier-Lagrave.
GM Fabiano Caruana placed fourth with 5/9. The event, with a $350,000 prize fund, highlighted India’s chess prowess, though Gukesh’s 11-point rating loss sparked debate on X about his form.
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