Romania will have two representatives in the highly anticipated Grand Chess Tour 2025, as grandmasters Bogdan Deac and David Gavrilescu have received wildcard invitations to compete alongside the world’s chess elite.

Deac, currently Romania’s highest-rated player with a FIDE rating of 2692 and ranked 40th globally, will compete in the tour’s Poland and Romania stages. At just 23 years old, he has been a key figure in Romanian chess for nearly a decade, having earned his grandmaster title at the age of 14 - the youngest in the world at that time.

Gavrilescu, who became a grandmaster in 2023, will also represent Romania, playing in the Warsaw stage. Currently ranked sixth nationally, he claimed the Romanian National Chess Championship earlier this year, marking a major step in his rising career. His invitation to the Grand Chess Tour recognizes his growing potential on the international stage.

The Grand Chess Tour 2025 celebrates its 10th anniversary, bringing together some of the biggest names in chess. World number one Magnus Carlsen, along with past champions Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, and Alireza Firouzja, will compete against emerging talents such as Aravindh Chithambaram and Vladimir Fedoseev.

Sponsored by the Superbet Foundation, the European stages in Poland, Romania, and Croatia will be part of a prestigious circuit founded by chess legend Garry Kasparov and billionaire Rex Sinquefield. This year’s competition boasts a total prize fund of USD 1.6 million, with the top four players battling in a knockout final for an additional USD 350,000.

Romanian chess fans will have the chance to witness the action live at Grand Hotel Bucharest, where the Superbet Chess Classic Romania is open to the public. Tickets are available online here.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

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