Pragg dominates Firouzja and MVL in play-offs to win Superbet Chess Classic

18/05/2025 – Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu won his first ever Grand Chess Tour title at the Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest after winning a three-way play-off against Alireza Firouzja and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. The Indian GM drew the final round to retain first place, while Firouzja and MVL won their respective games, forcing a tie-break for glory and a $10,000 bonus – all three players having the same number of ranking points on the circuit. This second victory in a major tournament this year propels the 19-year-old prodigy into second place in the overall GCT rankings, behind MVL. World champion Gukesh Dommaraju, on the other hand, failed to shine, finishing with -1, including two losses to French players. Photo: Lennart Ootes.