Giri outright winner at FIDE Grand Swiss, Bluebaum grabs second Candidates spot

“I really love preparing for the Candidates”

Anish Giri emerged as the winner of the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss in Samarkand, finishing with 8/11 points and taking clear first place. The Dutch grandmaster secured tournament victory with a final-round win over Hans Niemann, a result that also gained him 12.5 rating points and pushed him up to seventh place in the live world rankings.

Giri’s overall performance was remarkably consistent: he scored five wins and six draws, including victories in his last two games with the white pieces, both against strong opposition, Jorden van Foreest and Niemann.

Thanks to this triumph, he will play in the 2026 Candidates Tournament, which will mark his third appearance in the event. Giri previously played in the Moscow Candidates of 2016, famously drawing all 14 of his games, and in the 2020–21 Candidates in Yekaterinburg, where he scored 7½/14 points.

After securing first place in Samarkand, Giri noted that he loves preparing for the Candidates, adding that he now feels especially motivated to fight for the World Championship title as he is “too old to be excited about just playing the tournament circuit”.

One of the most eloquent GMs in the elite circuit | Photos: Michal Walusza

Three players finished half a point behind Giri on 7½/11, with Matthias Bluebaum taking second place on tiebreaks, finishing ahead of Alireza Firouzja and Vincent Keymer on the average-rating-of-opponents criterion, with the lowest-rated opponent not counted. Bluebaum thus secured the coveted spot in the Candidates, joining Giri and Fabiano Caruana, the latter having qualified by winning the 2024 FIDE Circuit.

Bluebaum, who entered the tournament as the 32^nd seed with a 2671 rating, remained undefeated throughout, scoring four wins and seven draws. His run included upset victories over the two top seeds, Indian stars Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Arjun Erigaisi, a result that crowns what has already been an outstanding year for the 28-year-old from Lemgo. Earlier in 2025, he became the first player ever to win the European Championship twice, taking the continental title in March with 8½/11 after entering as the 17^th seed, and he also won the strong A-Open in Dortmund.

In this insightful video course, Grandmaster David Navara shares practical advice on when to calculate deeply in a position — and just as importantly, when not to.
In this insightful video course, Grandmaster David Navara shares practical advice on when to calculate deeply in a position — and just as importantly, when not to.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Invisible moves

The German grandmaster now has a live rating of 2693, placing him 37^th in the world. His qualification is reminiscent of Kirill Alekseenko’s participation in the 2020–21 Candidates as the clear underdog, though Bluebaum’s recent results show that he has firmly earned his right to fight the world elite in the eight-player tournament next year.

FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich gifted Matthias Bluebaum and Anish Giri “boarding passes” to the Candidates Tournament | Photos: Michal Walusza

Bluebaum did need some luck to secure the second spot. His compatriot Vincent Keymer, who was fighting for qualification himself, failed to convert a winning position against him in their crucial round-ten game, blundering with 54.Rh7 in clearly winning endgame that should have given him the full point.

Then, in the final round, Keymer once again obtained winning chances against Arjun Erigaisi on board three, this time in an endgame where he had a rook and two extra pawns against two knights. The tricky nature of the position meant that Keymer was unable to break through, and the game ended in a draw.

Had Keymer won, he would have tied Giri for first place with 8 points. Keymer will surely look back on these two rounds with regret, though he still has chances to qualify for the Candidates through the FIDE World Cup. His chances of qualifying via the FIDE Circuit are slim, as Praggnanandhaa is the clear favourite to take that spot, and Hikaru Nakamura remains the favourite to qualify via the rating spot.

For Germany, the tournament was historic, as Bluebaum becomes the first German player to qualify for the Candidates since Robert Hübner, who last played in the 1991–93 cycle. Given Keymer’s current form, as he sits in eighth place in the live rating list, there is a real possibility that two German players will take part in the 2026 Candidates.

No hard feelings – German representatives Alexander Donchenko, Vincent Keymer and Matthias Bluebaum sharing a laugh | Photo: Michal Walusza

From Mating with a queen; a rook; two bishops; a knight and a bishop; to the basics of pawn endgames – here you will gain the necessary know-how to turn your endgame advantages into victories!

A large 15-player group finished on 7/11, which included some remarkable performances. Among the most surprising names were those of Abhimanyu Mishra and Andy Woodward, both representing the United States. Mishra, who held Vidit Gujrathi to a draw in the final round, has now extended his classical unbeaten streak to 67 games, an extraordinary achievement for the 16-year-old.

Abhimanyu Mishra | Photo: Michal Walusza

Andy Woodward | Photo: Michal Walusza

Giri 1-0 Niemann

Analysis by GM Karsten Müller

In this course, we will learn how to identify passively placed pieces in any given situation and how to improve their health by bringing them into active squares.

Anish Giri | Photo: Michal Walusza

Arjun ½-½ Keymer

Analysis by André Schulz

This DVD focuses on several types of material imbalances, such as Rook vs 2 Pieces, Queen vs 2 Rooks, and Queen vs Pieces.

Looking for the win… | Photo: Michal Walusza

…not looking good | Photo: Michal Walusza

Final standings

…116 players

All games

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