Vincent Keymer beats MVL to gain the sole lead at Super Chess Classic 2026

by Devansh Singh - 18/05/2026

Vincent Keymer defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave to gain the sole lead after 4 rounds of play at Super Chess Classic 2026. There was only one decisive result in the 4th round, where Vincent scored his 2nd win of the tournament. Another big news of this round was the unavailability of Alireza Firouzja due to health issues. The other 3 games ended in a draw, where Anish Giri drew against Javokhir Sindarov, R Praggnanandhaa played a quick draw against Jorden van Foreest, and Wesley So drew against Bogdan Daniel Deac in a long battle. The 5th round will start on 17th May at 4 PM Local Time/ 6:30 PM IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes

The Inaugural Move!

There was a beautiful and very light moment at the beginning of the 4th round as Three-time Women's World Blitz Champion Bibisara Assaubayeva made the first ceremonial move in the game Javokhir Sindarov vs Anish Giri. Sindarov and Bibisara recently made their relationship public during Candidates 2026,, and it was a cute moment before the start of the tough battles of Round 4.

It's tough to control that laugh | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Pure Emotions!! | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Check out the games!

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

Vincent Keymer vs Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (1-0)

This was the first time Vincent faced Najdorf against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who is considered to be one of the best players of this line, but in the post-match interview, Vincent mentioned, "It's my very first Najdorf game ever to play against MVL, who is, of course, a big specialist in Najdorf. So that worked out very nicely. My big preparation for the Grand Chess Tour was finally taking a break."

Vincent Keymer vs Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (1-0) | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Vincent is giving Autographs after winning his second game of the tournament | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Praggnanandhaa held Jorden van Foreest for a draw with black pieces | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Wesley So vs Bogdan Daniel Deac (0.5-0.5) | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Sindarov kept on playing in a theoretical Rook + Knight vs Rook endgame against Anish, but in the end, Anish managed to draw the game easily | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Replay Round 4 Games

Pairings and Results

Round 4 Results | Graphic: Grand Chess Tour

Standings after Round 4 | Graphic: Grand Chess Tour

Round 5 Pairings | Graphic: Grand Chess Tour

Photo Gallery: ChessBase India, GCT

Video Gallery: ChessBase India

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