GM Hans Niemann‘s win over GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu was the only decisive game on the top-nine boards as he caught GMs Alireza Firouzja, Anish Giri, Vincent Keymer, and Matthias Bluebaum in the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss lead. They’re on 7/10 going into the final round after Keymer missed a huge chance to take the sole lead when he blundered a saving trick by his German compatriot Bluebaum.
GM Vaishali Rameshbabu was losing and struggling on the clock against GM Mariya Muzychuk, but found a checkmating net to win and catch GM Kateryna Lagno in the 2025 FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss lead on 7.5/10. GM Tan Zhongyi, GM Bibisara Assaubayeva, and IM Song Yuxin are half a point back, while GM Irina Krush or IM Ulviyaa Fataliyeva are on 6.5/10.
This is a flash report—come back later for full player quotes and analysis!
Round 11 is on Monday, September 15, starting one hour earlier at 5 a.m. ET / 11:00 CEST / 2:30 p.m. IST.
Standings
Going into the final round of the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss we have a remarkable five-player tie at the top, with nine players half a point behind.
FIDE Grand Swiss Standings After Round 10
Lagno and Vaishali have been frontrunners all tournament so it’s fitting that Vaishali has hit the front again before the final round.
FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss Standings After Round 10
Open: Niemann Joins Leaders As Keymer Suffers Heartbreak
Just two of the top-10 games were decisive in the Open section as the Candidates qualification pressure grows.
Round 10 Results: Open
Check out the full games and results.
Our Game of the Day is the one big move at the top of the table, with Niemann taking advantage of Praggnanandhaa’s time trouble to grab a hugely important win. GM Dejan Bojkov will analyze it below.
That win over the pre-tournament favorite tops the list of wins by lower-rated players, though the only other upset that could be significant for the final standings at the top is 15-year-old GM Andy Woodward‘s victory over GM Parham Maghsoodloo. Woodward, like 16-year-old GM Abhimanyu Mishra, has excellent tiebreaks and could still sneak into the Candidates with a win if there were draws on the higher boards.
FIDE Grand Swiss Round 10 Upsets
| Player (Seed) | FED | Rtg | Result | Player (Seed) | FED | Rtg |
| GM Hans Moke Niemann (12) | 2733 | 1 – 0 | GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu (1) | 2785 | ||
| GM Andy Woodward (108) | 2557 | 1 – 0 | GM Parham Maghsoodloo (21) | 2692 | ||
| GM Alexey Sarana (26) | 2686 | 0 – 1 | GM Ihor Samunenkov (109) | 2550 | ||
| GM Vladislav Artemiev (37) | 2664 | 0 – 1 | GM Maxime Lagarde (88) | 2609 | ||
| GM Jonas Buhl Bjerre (45) | 2651 | 0 – 1 | GM Vasyl Ivanchuk (91) | 2608 | ||
| GM Alexandr Predke (90) | 2609 | 1 – 0 | GM Rauf Mamedov (46) | 2651 | ||
| GM Max Warmerdam (100) | 2591 | 1 – 0 | GM Daniil Yuffa (49) | 2648 | ||
| GM Jules Moussard (98) | 2591 | 1 – 0 | GM Saleh Salem (58) | 2640 | ||
| GM Maksim Chigaev (60) | 2638 | 0 – 1 | GM S L Narayanan (99) | 2591 | ||
| GM Jakhongir Vakhidov (111) | 2521 | 0 – 1 | IM Mukhammadzokhid Suyarov (114) | 2482 |
Only the top-seven pairings matter for Candidates qualification in the final round, with two clashes of the players on seven points and Keymer getting the “lucky” pairing with a player on 6.5 points—world number-five GM Arjun Erigaisi!
FIDE Grand Swiss Round 11 Pairings (Top 7)
| # | White | FED | Rtg | Result | Black | FED | Rtg |
| 1 | GM Matthias Bluebaum (7) | 2671 | – | GM Alireza Firouzja (7) | 2754 | ||
| 2 | GM Anish Giri (7) | 2746 | – | GM Hans Moke Niemann (7) | 2733 | ||
| 3 | GM Arjun Erigaisi (6.5) | 2771 | – | GM Vincent Keymer (7) | 2751 | ||
| 4 | GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov (6.5) | 2748 | – | GM Awonder Liang (6.5) | 2698 | ||
| 5 | GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (6.5) | 2738 | – | GM Nihal Sarin (6.5) | 2693 | ||
| 6 | GM Andy Woodward (6.5) | 2557 | – | GM Yu Yangyi (6.5) | 2714 | ||
| 7 | GM Vidit Gujrathi (6.5) | 2712 | – | GM Abhimanyu Mishra (6.5) | 2611 |
Women: Vaishali Catches Lagno In Lead Before Final Round
Three of the top-four boards saw draws in round 10, but Vaishali’s turnaround win gave a huge boost to her chances of defending her title but more importantly of qualifying for the Candidates.
Round 10 Results: Women
Check out the full games and results.
Only four pairings matter in the Women’s section but, as each pairing features players on different scores, many variations are possible, including Krush or Fataliyeva sneaking into the Candidates if everything went their way. It’s noteworthy that Tan has already qualified, so won’t take up one of the spots whatever happens.
FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss Round 11 Pairings (Top 4)
| # | White | FED | Rtg | Result | Black | FED | Rtg |
| 1 | GM Tan Zhongyi (7) | 2531 | – | GM Vaishali Rameshbabu (7.5) | 2452 | ||
| 2 | GM Kateryna Lagno (7.5) | 2505 | – | IM Ulviyya Fataliyeva (6.5) | 2385 | ||
| 3 | GM Irina Krush (6.5) | 2366 | – | IM Song Yuxin (7) | 2409 | ||
| 4 | GM Bibisara Assaubayeva (7) | 2505 | – | GM Anna Muzychuk (6) | 2535 |
This is a flash report—come back later for full player quotes and analysis!
The 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss and FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss are 11-round Swiss tournaments taking place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on September 4-15. Each will decide two places in the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournaments that select the next world championship challengers. The Open tournament has a $625,000 prize fund, with $90,000 for first place, while the Women’s is $230,000 ($40,000). The time control is classical, with a longer time control for the Open of 100 minutes/40 moves + 50 min/20 + 15 min, with a 30-second increment from move 1.
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