GM Alireza Firouzja followed in the footsteps (not literally) of GM Tony Miles as an ankle injury forced him to play round five of the Super Chess Classic Romania 2026 from a hotel bed. GM Javokhir Sindarov almost won that clash, but it was a day when no one managed to deliver a final blow.
GM Anish Giri spoiled a great position against GM Vincent Keymer’s Berlin, GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu missed a chance to join the leader by beating GM Wesley So, while there were quieter draws in GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac vs. GM Fabiano Caruana and GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave vs. GM Jorden van Foreest.
Round six is on Wednesday, May 20, starting at 9:10 a.m. ET / 15:10 CEST / 6:40 p.m. IST.
There was a fight on every board, but for a second time in this year’s Super Chess Classic Romania, all five games were drawn.
Round 5 Results
That means that Keymer retains his half-point lead over Giri, Van Foreest, and Praggnanandhaa. Caruana could join that group in second place if he beats Firouzja in his game in hand.
Standings After Round 5
Firouzja ½-½ Sindarov
The big question going into round five was what had happened to Firouzja and whether he’d be able to play the game. We never fully got an answer to the first question, but it turned out the French star had damaged his ankle. He was able to play, however, only it required his being able to lie in a hotel bed during the game.
That recalled some famous scenes, such as a young GM Bobby Fischer visiting GM Mikhail Tal in hospital, or perhaps more aptly GM Tony Miles finishing tied for first in Tilburg 1985 with GMs Robert Huebner and Viktor Korchnoi despite having to lie flat on a massage table after suffering severe back pain.
From Tony Miles to Alireza Firouzja – the fighting spirit lives on! No matter the circumstances, the game goes on! ♟️#chess #Grandchesstour #alirezafirouzja #chesshistory
Photos from GCT by Lennart Ootes pic.twitter.com/XKIe3gxEy9
— Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour) May 18, 2026
Some of Miles’ opponents complained, so nothing can be taken for granted, but in a post-game interview Firouzja noted that “the players also they are nice, they agreed, so all is good!” Firouzja told WGM Anastasiya Karlovich, “the doctor said this is the only way,” before adding, “Fortunately for chess you can lay on the bed, so I just wanted to play more, because we have five more nice games, and I will learn something.”
Fortunately for chess you can lay on the bed!
—Alireza Firouzja
Alireza Firouzja speaks about his decision to continue playing in Bucharest and reflects on his Round 5 game against Javokhir Sindarov at the 2026 Super Chess Classic Romania.#GrandChessTour #SuperChessClassicRomania #Chess #alirezafirouzja pic.twitter.com/tIJ8X96HOp
— Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour) May 18, 2026
Giri called Firouzja, “such a hero for continuing playing,” explaining, “I really thought it was a perfect opportunity for him just to call it a day… But he’s really a hero—for the love for chess!”
The reason Firouzja might have wanted to end the tournament is that he’d lost his previous two games, and, when he pushed 30.f5?!, he was down 16 minutes on the clock in what would soon be a miserable position.
A third loss in a row looked set to add insult to injury, but the game continued long after all the games were over back in the Museum of the National Bank of Romania. Firouzja noted he “got some play at the end,” and ultimately he managed to escape with a draw, denying Sindarov a first classical win since the Candidates.
That’s our Game of the Day, which GM Rafael Leitao analyzes below.
All the other games were also drawn, but everywhere there were chances.
Praggnanandhaa ½-½ So
So had suffered a painful miss in a six-hour game the day before against Deac, and things nearly went from bad to worse. Praggnanandhaa, who earlier in the tournament had beaten Sindarov, could have caught Keymer in the lead with a win. Instead, however, he let a big edge slip in one move and the game fizzled out into a draw.
Another player with something to lament was Giri, who was trying to take down the leader.
Giri ½-½ Keymer
It’s not often anymore that players at the top of the chess world attempt to topple the infamous Berlin Wall endgame that GM Vladimir Kramnik used to dethrone GM Garry Kasparov back in 2000, but that’s just what Giri set out to do in round five. He came armed with a new idea, and all the way up until at least Keymer’s 21…f6 things were going well for White.
Giri should have captured on f6, but played 22.a3!? instead, and just a few moves later actually found himself in some trouble. When Giri talked to GM Cristian Chirila, he began: “I was wondering, why do they always call me here after I play a bad game? Then I realized, maybe I always play a bad game… It’s very, very bad. The position looked amazing and I completely lost the plot at some point.”
I was wondering, why do they always call me here after I play a bad game?
—Anish Giri
Giri pulled the emergency brake in time, saying, “I was so relieved that the game was over,” about Keymer acquiescing in a draw by repetition.
The remaining two games were also uneven.
Deac ½-½ Caruana
The obvious plan to everyone facing Romanian number-one Deac is to go for complex play, wait until he gets into time trouble, and then exploit that if you can. It’s a double-edged sword, however, since Deac is a very strong player, plays well in time trouble, and can certainly punish sub-par play.
It seemed that might happen in this clash, as Caruana’s setup in the Nimzo-India looked dubious and, perhaps more worryingly, he also found himself 20 minutes down on the clock. 18.Nb5?! by Deac, however, spoiled any edge, and he was perhaps fortunate that Caruana backed down from launching a quick counterstrike. The game instead—a theme of the day—ended abruptly in a repetition of moves.
That leaves one game.
Vachier-Lagrave ½-½ Van Foreest
Vachier-Lagrave was looking to bounce back after losing to Keymer, and initially it seemed an offbeat opening was going his way against Van Foreest. Then, however, he offered a trade of queens and the advantage swiftly fizzled out.
It was a day when the approaching rest day could be felt, with players needing to recharge their batteries.
Round six starts on Wednesday with Keymer-Firouzja and Caruana-Sindarov among the highlights, but only two of the four players in those games will be rested, since the round-four Caruana-Firouzja game will be played on Tuesday.
Round 6 Pairings
How to watch?
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.
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