Abdusattorov Wins 1st Game In Bucharest, Joins Chasing Pack

GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov defeated GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda in the only decisive game of round seven in the Superbet Chess Classic Romania 2025. He is now in a group of four players who are a half-point behind the leaders. With draws in all the other games, the four leaders are still GMs Alireza Firouzja, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Fabiano Caruana, and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu.

Round eight is on Thursday, May 15, starting at 8:30 a.m. ET / 14:30 CET / 6:00 p.m. IST.

It was a quieter day compared to previous rounds in Bucharest, with all of the games over after about four hours.

Round 7 Results

With just two rounds to go, we still have four leaders and another four close behind. 

Standings After Round 7

Abdusattorov 1-0 Duda

"The game was very good, I think, and I found a lot of good moves and I'm really satisfied with today's game," said a grinning Abdusattorov after his first victory in Bucharest, including last year's event where he made eight draws and lost one game. He is now back in the conversation about potential winners.

The Uzbek number-one went with the Colle Zukertort Opening "just to get a game," he said, without much reliance on memorized moves. The key to his advantage was the bishop he secured on b5 on move 11. He said his opponent underestimated the strength of this bishop, perhaps thinking it would be out of play, but Abdusaattorov explained that the piece greatly "restricts the black army." With the center under control, slowly but surely, Abdusattorov mounted an attack, and he said that by the time he played 18.Rg3 Duda was already shaking his head.

It was a flawless conversion from there, and GM Rafael Leitao analyzes the full Game of the Day below.

Aronian ½-½ Caruana

There was one immediate draw, while the other three games were fully played out. GM Levon Aronian vs. Caruana ended in a perpetual check without any new moves in the opening. 

In a Queen's Gambit Declined Ragozin Variation, Aronian was surprised by Caruana's choice of the Vienna line (5...dxc4). Although he'd prepared for seven hours for this game (he later told GM Cristian Chirila), he explained, "Normally I play Vienna with Black, I haven't analyzed it from the white side in many years... and during the game I couldn't remember a single thing about this line." He did remember the drawing plan, though, and that's what he went for.

Deac ½-½ Vachier-Lagrave

Though it took nearly two more hours, GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac vs. Vachier-Lagrave also ended in a relatively quiet draw. The French GM created an imbalance in the position with 13...h6 and 14...g5, gaining space at the cost of some king safety, but the position was always equal. About the decision to repeat moves, Vachier-Lagrave said, "I was not sure how I proceed. Of course, I'm very solid, but I couldn't imagine I'm actually the one pressing."

Praggnanandhaa ½-½ Firouzja

In the clash of two leaders, Praggnanandhaa had objective hopes to win the game when Firouzja gave him the pure bishop pair against two knights. This required great precision, however, and the inaccurate 23.Bc1 allowed Firouzja to force the trade of bishop for knight after a sequence of moves—and with that, reach an equal position.

Gukesh  ½-½ So

World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju steered his game against GM Wesley So out of conventional waters when, in a Berlin Defense, he played 5.Ba4 and then 6.h3, reaching a new position. Though he was slightly better at points, he didn't get much, and ultimately, he had to find a pretty tactical sequence to force the draw.

Abdusattorov reaches his next matchup with some confidence and momentum. He'll play with Black against Firouzja, and he looks forward to some action, saying: "He's in a very fighting spirit, so I expect there to be entertainment." We'll have another clash of leaders between Caruana and Vachier-Lagrave, while Praggnanandhaa will have the black pieces against So.

The 2025 Superbet Romania Chess Classic is the second event on the 2025 Grand Chess Tour and runs from May 7 to 16 at the Grand Hotel Bucharest in Romania. It's a 10-player round-robin with a time control of 90 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 30 more minutes for the rest of the game, plus a 30-second increment starting on move one. The prize fund is $350,000.

Previous coverage:

• Round 6: Firouzja Beats Gukesh, Joins 4-Way Tie In 1st
• Round 5: All Sharp Games, All Draws In Bucharest
• Round 4: Vachier-Lagrave Beats World Champion Gukesh, Joins Shared Lead
• Round 3: Caruana, Praggnanandhaa Lead After Scoring 1st Wins
• Round 2: Vachier-Lagrave, Deac Bounce Back From Losses
• Round 1: Firouzja Cracks MVL's French Defense, Leads With Wesley So