Favourites show their class
The final round of the London Chess Classic concluded without changes to the standings, as all five games ended drawn. With Nodirbek Abdusattorov having already secured the title in round eight, attention turned to the contest for second place, where Alireza Firouzja was being chased by Nikita Vitiugov and, with an outside chance, Michael Adams. None of the pursuers managed to close the gap, leaving the podium unchanged at the end of the day.
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 event had begun with two clear rating favourites, Abdusattorov and Firouzja, and both performed strongly across the single round-robin. Abdusattorov, in particular, delivered a commanding performance. His final score of 7½/9 corresponded to a 2932 tournament performance rating (TPR), reflecting sustained excellence throughout the week. The 21-year-old entered the event on a downward rating trajectory, having dropped from a career-high 2783 in October of the previous year to 2732 on the most recent list. A difficult Sinquefield Cup (2½/9) and an early World Cup exit (1/4, with two losses to José Martínez) accounted for much of the decline. London, however, marked a major turnaround: Abdusattorov gained 18.7 Elo points and rose back to twelfth place in the live ratings.
Nodirbek Abdusattorov | Photo: John Saunders
Firouzja finished on 5½/9, a result that might have been higher had he converted a few promising positions earlier in the event. Even in the last round, against Nikolas Theodorou, he missed a chance to maintain winning prospects in the endgame – instead of 36…Rb3, he opted for 36…Ra2, later explaining that he had calculated the correct move but “saw ghosts” and did not trust his evaluation.
Despite such moments, the French representative lost only 2.7 rating points overall, a modest adjustment given that he was facing a field mostly rated below him. Firouzja noted that he was pleased to return to classical chess after a break – his previous appearance had been at the FIDE Grand Swiss in early September – and mentioned the possibility of playing in the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Qatar, though he is not yet listed among the entrants.
Third place went to England’s Nikita Vitiugov, who entered the tournament as the third seed, only narrowly ahead of Theodorou, Pavel Eljanov and Gawain Maroroa Jones in rating. Vitiugov recovered well from an early loss to the eventual winner in round three, scoring two victories thereafter and becoming one of only three players to finish with a plus score. His results earned him 6.5 rating points and a rise of seven places in the live ratings list.
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
With draws across the board, the standings closed exactly as they had begun the day: Abdusattorov in clear first, followed by Firouzja in second and Vitiugov completing the podium.
Nikita Vitiugov | Photo: John Saunders
Round 9 results
Maroroa Jones ½-½ Firouzja (Round 5)
Endgame analysis by GM Karsten Müller from the round-five encounter between Maroroa Jones and Firouzja, an instructive display of players calculating precisely in a dangerous setup with four rooks still on the board.
Picture this: you’ve outplayed your opponent move by move, you’re clearly better – and then the endgame slips into a draw, simply because you lacked the crucial theoretical knowledge. That is exactly where this course comes in. Without solid endgame skills, there’s no way forward. Rook endgames are most essential: they occur more often than any other type of endgame, and often make the difference between victory and half a point. If you master them, you’ll confidently convert your advantages into wins!
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: Bodycheck
Final standings
All 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.
