Three co-winners in London
Tournament favourite Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu had black in the final round against Ilya Smirin and was content with a quick draw. After only 18 moves the game was already over.
Velimir Ivic and Ameet Ghasi, who entered a half point behind Pragg, played longer and fighting games – and both scored wins. Ghasi was lucky that his opponent, Daniel Fernandez, walked straight into a sharp, prepared line and quickly lost the thread. Ivic was lucky that his opponent, Matthieu Cornette, committed a tactical error in a winning position, costing him the game and a significant amount of prize money.
The crucial games of the final round
I. Smirin – Praggnanandhaa
V. Ivic – M. Cornette
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
Velimir Ivic | Yury Krylov / London Chess Classic
D. Fernandez – Ameet K Ghasi
The King’s Indian Defence is one of the most dynamic openings in chess – and Pirc structures share much of the same DNA. With colours reversed (the King’s Indian Attack), these setups can be just as powerful. What may look modest at first often transforms into highly complex middlegames, where timing, precision, and a deep feel for dynamics make all the difference.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: Misplaced Pieces
Ameet K Ghasi | Yury Krylov / London Chess Classic
Final standings
| 1 | GM | Praggnanandhaa, R | 2768 | 7 | |
| 2 | GM | Ivic, Velimir | 2618 | 7 | |
| 3 | GM | Ghasi, Ameet K | 2500 | 7 | |
| 4 | GM | Pranav, Anand | 2581 | 6,5 | |
| 5 | GM | Smirin, Ilya | 2554 | 6,5 | |
| 6 | GM | Fodor, Tamas Jr | 2508 | 6,5 | |
| 7 | GM | Wadsworth, Matthew J | 2487 | 6,5 | |
| 8 | IM | Aizenberg, Benny | 2444 | 6,5 | |
| 9 | GM | Yuffa, Daniil | 2618 | 6 | |
| 10 | GM | Iniyan, P | 2601 | 6 | |
| 11 | GM | Sanal, Vahap | 2546 | 6 | |
| 12 | GM | Gavrilescu, David | 2542 | 6 | |
| 13 | GM | Cornette, Matthieu | 2517 | 6 | |
| 14 | IM | Chasin, Nico | 2512 | 6 | |
| 15 | GM | Mikhalevski, Victor | 2504 | 6 | |
| 16 | GM | Fernandez, Daniel H | 2501 | 6 | |
| 17 | IM | Bazakutsa, Svyatoslav | 2478 | 6 | |
| 18 | IM | Czopor, Maciej | 2463 | 6 | |
| 19 | IM | Kanyamarala, Tarun | 2376 | 6 | |
| 20 | GM | Jumabayev, Rinat | 2560 | 5,5 | |
| 21 | GM | Maze, Sebastien | 2534 | 5,5 | |
| 22 | IM | Rozen, Eytan | 2515 | 5,5 | |
| 23 | GM | Royal, Shreyas | 2495 | 5,5 | |
| 24 | IM | Travadon, Loic | 2492 | 5,5 | |
| 25 | IM | Willow, Jonah B | 2472 | 5,5 |
All available games
EXPAND YOUR CHESS HORIZONS
Data, plans, practice – the new Opening Report In ChessBase there are always attempts to show the typical plans of an opening variation. In the age of engines, chess is much more concrete than previously thought. But amateurs in particular love openings with clear plans, see the London System. In ChessBase ’26, three functions deal with the display of plans. The new opening report examines which piece moves or pawn advances are significant for each important variation. In the reference search you can now see on the board where the pieces usually go. If you start the new Monte Carlo analysis, the board also shows the most common figure paths.
