Keymer Wins GCT Bucharest: First Grand Chess Tour Title After Final-Round Victory Over Van Foreest
Vincent Keymer is a Grand Chess Tour champion. The 21-year-old German scored 6/9 at the Super Chess Classic Romania in Bucharest, clinching the $131,250 first prize with a final-round victory over Jorden van Foreest that made tiebreaks unnecessary.
"I still haven't fully gathered what has actually happened," Keymer said after the game. "It's been an amazing event for me."
This was Keymer's first classical victory over Van Foreest in four attempts. It was also his first full GCT event. He heads straight to Norway Chess, which begins in two days.
Round 9: The Winning Move
The final round produced just one decisive game, and it was the one that mattered most. Keymer had White against Van Foreest, who needed a win to have any chance at the title. Instead, it was the Dutchman who crumbled under pressure.
Van Foreest's 11...Nh5 was already inaccurate, and then 15...Qa5? - played in under a minute - was close to losing on the spot. The decisive blow came with 16.Nd5!!, winning the exchange after 16...Qxa4 17.Bxd4 exd4 18.Nb6. Van Foreest fought on for roughly 30 more moves, but the position was beyond saving.
"I'm not the kind of player who says I will make a draw and that's it," Keymer explained. "It's just... I cannot."
On the other critical board, Caruana needed a win against MVL to force tiebreaks. He came close. In a Four Knights Sicilian, Caruana had a winning shot at move 24: 24...c5! would have won a piece after 25.Qxb7+ Qxb7 26.Bxb7 Ne2+. Instead he played 24...Bc8?, letting MVL equalize and draw by repetition.
"It's a very strange blunder because it's not too difficult," Caruana admitted. "I just didn't spot this move."
Giri-Praggnanandhaa drew in 31 moves. Sindarov-So drew in 37 (Berlin Defense). Deac received his second forfeit win from the withdrawn Firouzja.
Round 8: Records, Kasparov, and a Home Crowd Win
If the final round was straightforward, Round 8 was anything but.
The headline result was Sindarov's win over Van Foreest. In a Catalan, Van Foreest blundered with 23.Rc1?, hanging his e5-pawn. After 23...Nxe5, the Candidates champion converted a technical endgame with precision that caught the attention of the greatest player in history. Garry Kasparov reacted on X to Sindarov's technique, quipping that the youngster "studies the ancient texts." Sindarov's reply was simpler: "I know the technique."
Meanwhile, Praggnanandhaa and MVL played the longest classical game in the 11-year history of the Grand Chess Tour. Their 139-move, 6-hour marathon in a Grunfeld surpassed the previous record of 132 moves (So-Nepomniachtchi, 2019 Sinquefield Cup). Praggnanandhaa had winning positions in both the middlegame and endgame, but MVL escaped with a stalemate trick in the queen endgame. A heartbreaking result for Pragg, who deserved the full point.
Local wildcard Deac gave the Bucharest crowd something to cheer about by beating Giri. In time pressure, Giri blundered with 40...Nb3?? and Deac sealed the deal with 42.e6!. It was his first win of the tournament.
The marquee matchup, Caruana-Keymer, ended in a 48-move draw. Caruana got an edge in a Reversed Sicilian but couldn't convert, and the two co-leaders headed into the final round level at 5/8.
Round 8 results:
| White | Black | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Caruana | Keymer | ½-½ |
| Praggnanandhaa | MVL | ½-½ (139 moves) |
| Van Foreest | Sindarov | 0-1 |
| Deac | Giri | 1-0 |
| So | Firouzja (forfeit) | 1-0 |
Final Standings
| # | Player | Score | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vincent Keymer | 6/9 | $131,250 |
| 2 | Fabiano Caruana | 5½/9 | $85,833 |
| 3-4 | Javokhir Sindarov | 5/9 | $63,333 |
| 3-4 | Wesley So | 5/9 | $42,500 |
| 5-9 | Jorden van Foreest | 4½/9 | $28,416 |
| 5-9 | Bogdan-Daniel Deac | 4½/9 | $28,416 |
| 5-9 | Anish Giri | 4½/9 | $28,416 |
| 5-9 | R Praggnanandhaa | 4½/9 | $28,416 |
| 5-9 | Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | 4½/9 | $28,416 |
| 10 | Alireza Firouzja | 1/9 | $10,000 |
The $475,000 prize fund included a $125,000 decisive games bonus pool split among all classical wins. Keymer's four victories earned him over $31,000 in bonuses on top of the $100,000 first prize.
GCT Tour Standings
Despite not winning either event, Caruana leads the overall 2026 Grand Chess Tour standings after two of five legs:
| # | Player | Warsaw | Bucharest | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caruana | 10 | 10 | 20 |
| 2 | So | 8 | 7.5 | 15.5 |
| 3 | Keymer | - | 13 | 13 |
| 4 | Sindarov | 3 | 7.5 | 10.5 |
| 5 | Firouzja | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| 5 | MVL | 3 | 4 | 7 |
The consistency of Caruana's two runner-up finishes gives him a comfortable lead. The next GCT stop is the Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia in Zagreb (June 29 - July 6).
Next Up: Norway Chess
There's barely time to breathe. Norway Chess 2026 starts May 25 in Oslo, with Keymer heading straight from Bucharest. The six-player double round-robin features Carlsen, Keymer, Firouzja (who is expected to travel despite his ankle injury), Praggnanandhaa, So, and World Champion Gukesh.
The Women's event includes Ju Wenjun, Koneru, Zhu Jiner, Deshmukh, Assaubayeva, and defending champion Muzychuk. Both sections carry equal prize funds in the tournament's first Oslo edition.
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