The 2025 Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest came down to the wire, delivering a final round that will be remembered for years. After seven grueling rounds of classical chess, the leaderboard exploded into a dramatic three-way tie between Fabiano Caruana, R Praggnanandhaa, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.
Going into the last round, Caruana held a slight edge—but pressure does strange things, even to the best. Facing a determined Anish Giri, Caruana faltered in a sharp endgame, suffering a surprising loss that shook the standings. At the same time, Praggnanandhaa and Vachier-Lagrave both drew their games, doing just enough to capitalize on Caruana’s stumble and create a three-way deadlock at the top, each finishing with 4 points.
The tension didn’t end there. A rapid round-robin tiebreak followed, where Caruana redeemed himself with ice-cold precision, defeating both MVL and Pragg to claim the Superbet title outright. It was a clutch performance from the American GM, turning heartbreak into triumph in just a few hours.
For Praggnanandhaa, the youngest in the trio, the event was a strong showing despite the tiebreak setbacks. He played solidly throughout the tournament and continues to prove he’s more than ready for the elite circuit.
As for Vachier-Lagrave, his consistency and tactical flair kept him in the fight till the end—reminding fans why he’s always a threat in any format.
The final round of Superbet was a showcase of high-stakes chess, human vulnerability, and championship nerves. And here at PawnSocialClub.org, we’re here for every twist on the 64 squares.
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