Pragg Ends Sindarov's 53-Game Unbeaten Streak; MVL, Keymer Also Win
GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu outcalculated GM Javokhir Sindarov in round two of the Super Chess Classic Romania 2026 to hand the world championship challenger his first classical loss since early September. There were also wins for GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who beat his French rival GM Alireza Firouzja, and GM Vincent Keymer, who upped the pressure until GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac cracked. GM Fabiano Caruana vs. GM Anish Giri and GM Jorden van Foreest vs. GM Wesley So were drawn.
Round three is on Saturday May 16, starting at 9:10 a.m. ET / 15:10 CEST / 6:40 p.m. IST.
This is a flash report—come back later for full coverage of round two!
Any fears that we were in for a draw fest in Bucharest were dispelled with a fighting round featuring three decisive games and some lively moments in the remaining two games.
Round 2 Results
We now have three leaders, and of course three players trailing in last place.
Standings After Round 2
Our Game of the Day is Praggnanandhaa's win, which GM Rafael Leitao will analyze below.
Praggnanandhaa vs. Keymer will be the one clash of leaders in round three, while Vachier-Lagrave vs. Sindarov will be fascinating to watch as Sindarov finds himself in the unusual situation of needing to bounce back.
Round 3 Pairings
The live broadcast was hosted by GM Yasser Seirawan, IM Nazi Paikidze, GM Peter Svidler, GM Cristian Chirila, and WGM Anastasiya Karlovich.
The 2026 Super Chess Classic Romania is the second event on the 2026 Grand Chess Tour and runs from May 13 to 23 at the Museum of the National Bank of Romania in Bucharest. 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 $475,000.
Previous Coverage:
Colin McGourty led news at Chess24 from its launch until it merged with Chess.com a decade later. An amateur player, he got into chess writing when he set up the website Chess in Translation after previously studying Slavic languages and literature in St. Andrews, Odesa, Oxford, and Krakow.
