Top chess player Vincent Keymer secured his first victory in a classical event within the 2026 Grand Chess Tour at the Super Chess Classic Romania event. During his debut as a full-tour player in the circuit, the German finished in first place after defeating Jorden van Foreest.

Fabiano Caruana finished in second place, remaining in the title race until the final round, while Javokhir Sindarov, World Championship challenger, secured third place with a remarkable performance. 

For his victory, Keymer received a total of USD 131,250, including his share of the USD 125,000 bonus awarded for classical game victories, distributed among players based on the total number of wins achieved throughout the tournament. The prizes were awarded by Augusta Dragic and Cristian Popa, representatives of the National Bank of Romania.

“Vincent’s performance in Bucharest was a remarkable example of how the new generation of elite players is rising to one of the biggest stages in world chess,” said Michael Khodarkovsky, Executive Director of the GCT. 

The competition was highly intense over the nine rounds, including the withdrawal of Alireza Firouzja, who was forced to abandon the tournament due to a persistent ankle injury.

“I have not yet fully realized what happened. It was an extraordinary event for me,” said Keymer. “I am very satisfied with my performance, especially after a difficult moment in the middle of the tournament. This is the most important victory of my career so far. I prepared less and focused more on preserving the mental energy needed to succeed,” he added.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: press release)