French chess grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave won both the trophy and the USD 77,667 first prize at the 2022 Superbet Chess Classic Romania, the first stage of the Grand Chess Tour.

Vachier-Lagrave had a perfect Saturday, winning the classical encounter with Alireza Firouzja and then defeating both Wesley So and Levon Aronian in the playoffs. He took first place in the final standings with 5.5 points, winning the biggest money prize and the trophy that brought him back to the top 10 in the world.

Two Americans completed the podium - Wesley So and Levon Aronian, each with 5 points and a prize of USD 67,667. The best Romanian chess player of the moment, Bogdan Deac, ranked fourth (4.5 points), alongside Fabiano Caruana and Leinier Dominguez.

The Superbet Chess Classic 2022 took place in Bucharest between May 5 and 14. The total prizes of the Bucharest stage of the international Grand Chess Tour amounted to USD 350,000.

The Superbet Chess Classic Romania trophy is a statuette created by the artist Aurelian Aldescu. It symbolises a mix between the famous Endless Column sculpture by Constantin Brancusi (representing the Romanian element) and the king (the main piece in chess).

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: the organizers)