Anish Giri beats Alireza, Jorden also scores his first win at Super Chess Classic 2026

by Devansh Singh - 17/05/2026

In the 3rd round of the Super Chess Classic 2026, Anish Giri defeated Alireza Firouzja to score his 1st win of the tournament. In another decisive result, Bogdan Daniel Deac lost to Jorden van Foreest with white pieces. The battle between R Praggnanandhaa and Vincent Keymer also ended in a draw after a long fight. In the American clash between Wesley So and Fabiano Caruana, both players played solid chess to a draw. Javokhir Sindarov and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave drew quickly. After 3 rounds, 5 players are joint leaders with 2/3 points. The 4th round will start on 17th May at 4 PM Local Time/ 6:30 PM IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes

Check out the games!

Now we will bring you all the action from this round.

Anish Giri vs. Alireza Firouzja (1-0)

This was the 12th Classical game between these two players; previously, Alireza won 3 times, Anish won 1, and the other games ended in draws. This game was also heading towards a draw when Alireza blundered and lost in the endgame. Check out the critical moment

Position after 68.b4

This was Giri's last attempt to get some chances in this drawn endgame, and under time pressure, Alireza missed the trick and played 68.Be1 allowing white to play 69.Rc4+ followed up with advancing the b-pawn

The moment when Alireza realised he messed up | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

And here comes the resignation | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Anish Giri vs. Alireza Firouzja (1-0) | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Bogdan Daniel Deac vs Jorden van Foreest (0-1)

There was only 1 classical game played between these two players, which ended in a draw before this encounter. Here in Bucharest Jorden played a great attacking game to win against Bogdan.

Blunder 35.Kf2?

Instead of Kf2, Bogdon could have played Kh1, and the position was completely fine, but Kf2 turned out to be a game-losing mistake as it allows direct attack from the black side. Check out how Jorden managed to win this game below

Bogdan Daniel Deac vs Jorden van Foreest (0-1) | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave vs Javokhir Sindarov (0.5-0.5)

MVL and Sindarov played a quick draw in just 15 moves and went to give photographs and autographs to their fans.

Sindarov with his young fan | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

MVL giving autographs | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Praggnanandhaa and Vincent drew after playing a long game of 64 moves | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

The all-American clash between Caruana and Wesley also ended in a draw | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Replay Round 3 Games

Pairings and Results

Round 3 Results | Graphic: Grand Chess Tour

Standings after Round 3 | Graphic: Grand Chess Tour

Round 4 Pairings | Graphic: Grand Chess Tour

Photo Gallery: ChessBase India, GCT

Games are going on during the 3rd round | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Guess who is here? | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Stars emit light! | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Anish is co-leading with 2/3 points | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Jorden is playing some great classical games this year | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Video Gallery: ChessBase India

A detailed interview with Jorden van Foreest after round 2

Line Up

Check out the Line-up: Here | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Graphic: Grand Chess Tour

A spectacular start to the in Bucharest. Watch the amazing opening ceremony featuring the world’s top chess stars and unforgettable moments | Video: ChessBase India

Schedule

Prize Fund

The total prize fund for each of the Classical Events shall be Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars ($350,000), which shall be distributed as follows:

Source: Official Site

Format and Time Control

10-player Round Robin
90 minutes for 40 moves, and 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment from move 1.

Point System

1 point for a win, ½ point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss in all games.

Venue: National Bank of Romania Museum

Housed within the stunning Old Palace in Bucharest’s historic Lipscani district, the National Bank of Romania Museum offers a captivating journey through financial history. Visitors can explore one of the most significant numismatic collections in Central and Eastern Europe, featuring rare gold coins, antique banknotes, and the legendary National Treasure.

National Bank of Romania | Photo: Grand Chess Tour