London Chess Classic 2025: Firouzja Takes 2nd, Two Points Behind Abdusattorov

GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov had already won the London Chess Classic Elite Tournament with a day to spare, and all draws in the final round meant he finished two points clear on 7.5/9. He made a solid draw against GM Pavel Eljanov, while second-placed GM Alireza Firouzja was frustrated to miss a chance against GM Nikolas Theodorou. GM Nikita Vitiugov took third after a draw against GM Gawain Maroroa Jones.

U.S. stars Abhimanyu Mishra and Sam Shankland both looked to have chances to pick up their first wins, but they were frustrated by GMs Michael Adams and Luke McShane respectively, with the English GMs sharing fourth place on 50 percent.

Round 9 Results

Final Standings

Abdusattorov ½-½ Eljanov

The 21-year-old Uzbek number-one had nothing to prove in the final round, having already clinched tournament victory, £25,000 (~$33,400), and the maximum possible FIDE Circuit points. The only side quest remaining was to score a seventh win and re-enter the world top-10.

Crystal Palace footballer Borna Sosa made Abdusattorov’s first move. Photo: John Saunders/London Chess Classic.

That didn’t happen, as Abdusattorov described the Italian he played against Eljanov as, “A very clean game—maybe I had slight pressure but it didn’t feel like much.”

Eljanov held firm against Abdusattorov in the final round. Photo: John Saunders/London Chess Classic.

Abdusattorov was understandably happy with how things had gone: “It was an amazing tournament for me! I’m glad that I played against some good players like Michael Adams. I’m grateful for the organizers, as it’s been a pleasure to play here. I just had a wonderful time here!”

I just had a wonderful time here!

—Nodirbek Abdusattorov

It’s not quite over, as Abdusattorov will now play in the 10-round Super Rapidplay on Saturday and Sunday. That event, with a £10,000 (~$13,300) top prize, will include the Elite players and other stars such as GM Leinier Dominguez. There are potentially around 10 FIDE Circuit points up for grabs, but it’s unlikely to help Abdusattorov in his quest to overhaul GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. Only two rapid and blitz events can be counted and Abdusattorov would likely need to win both the World Rapid and Blitz titles—so that the Super Rapidplay would be discarded.

Eljanov finished tied for sixth place on -1, and commented, “I can’t say that the tournament was amazing!” adding, “I played two really bad games, besides that not that bad, but in such a lineup two bad games is already a bit too much.”

Theodorou ½-½ Firouzja

Firouzja came into the London Chess Classic as the player expected to challenge Abdusattorov for the title, and although he finished a distant second he nevertheless scored +2 and took the £15,000 (~$20,000) second prize. He also performed close to his rating and would have gained rating slightly if he’d won in the final round.

Firouzja was close to a win near the end. Photo: John Saunders/London Chess Classic.

A very lively game followed, with a brief chance for Theodorou early on and then Firouzja pressing in the endgame. At the critical moment 36…Rb3! instead of 36…Ra2 was a move after which Firouzja felt he would have gone on to win. He explained, “It was my first intention,” but that he “saw some ghosts” and also was let down by his clock handling—in this case not that he had too little time but too much! He took four of his remaining five minutes on the decision, but otherwise would have put the rook on b3.

“It’s good I played some tournament!” said Firouzja about getting back to classical chess. It was also noteworthy that he didn’t rule out playing in the World Rapid and Blitz Championship in Doha in three weeks’ time, although he’s not currently listed among the players.

Vitiugov ½-½ Maroroa Jones

Nikita Vitiugov took third place. Photo: John Saunders/London Chess Classic.

Vitiugov summed up his tournament: “I’m not sure how it’s going to end for me because it depends on the other games. I finished on a + score. I didn’t perform like Nodirbek, but even +1 in such a company is a very nice result and I’m satisfied.”

Even +1 in such a company is a very nice result and I’m satisfied.

—Nikita Vitiugov

Things ended perfectly for Vitiugov, since no one caught him and he took sole third place and £10,000 (~$13,300), while there were no prizes for places below third.

The game itself was short on action, with the key defensive idea having already been demonstrated by GM Magnus Carlsen against GM Sergey Karjakin in Norway Chess 2018.

“Of course my score’s not as satisfying!” said Maroroa Jones, before adding: “At least I got a win yesterday after the disaster earlier on. I managed to steady the ship and not finish last. Some bonuses, some positives there!”

I managed to steady the ship and not finish last.

—Gawain Maroroa Jones

In the final two games, the U.S. participants were unable to avert the shipwreck of their pre-tournament hopes.

Mishra ½-½ Adams

Adams said “a lot of guys are really struggling physically,” and included himself in that, but he still ended with 1.5/2 in the last two rounds! Photo: John Saunders/London Chess Classic.

“I made every mistake there was to make,” said Mishra of how he lost to Maroroa Jones in the penultimate round. In the final round the 16-year-old came closer than anyone to picking up a win, but summed up: “This was also a very painful game. Up till some point I felt like I was playing really well, I should be winning or very close to winning at least… then I got very low on the clock and started blundering everything.”

By the very end Adams was a pawn up and could have played for a win himself, but admitted, “I’m feeling so lousy today I just wanted to finish the tournament!”

I’m feeling so lousy today I just wanted to finish the tournament!

—Michael Adams

It was an eventful game.

“It’s a lot better than I expected, certainly after the start!” said Adams about finishing in fourth place on 50 percent. For Mishra, -2 was a disappointment, though he avoided last place.

Shankland ½-½ McShane

Sam Shankland ended without a win, but not for a lack of fighting spirit. Photo: John Saunders/London Chess Classic.

Very little has gone right for Shankland in London after reaching the World Cup Semifinals, and he finished last on -3 after a 90-move endgame grind where he couldn’t quite convert the bishop pair and a better pawn structure into victory. Earlier on, there were some tactical chances.

Shankland and McShane will join the other players in the Super Rapidplay that wraps up the 2025 edition of the London Chess Classic!

How to review?

You can rewatch live broadcasts of the event on YouTube. Games from the event can be viewed on our events page.

The 2025 XTX Markets London Chess Classic was a 10-player round-robin that took place November 26-December 5, 2025, at the Emirates Stadium. The time control was 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 more minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment per move starting on move one.

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