GCT Super Chess Classic 2026: Firouzja does a Miles

By admin May 19, 2026 0 comments

After suffering an ankle injury, Alireza Firouzja has decided to continue playing at Grand Chess Tour Super Chess Classic 2026. He is playing in a special room in presence of an arbiter.

Sindarov and Praggnanandhaa get chances

All five games of Round 5 ended in draws. Javokhir Sindarov had the best chances among them to score a win. R Praggnanandhaa had a difficult opportunity versus Wesley So. Grand Chess Tour is an elite chess circuit event which is in existence for a decade, for a reason. After Alireza Firouzja suffered an ankle injury, the organizers made a special arrangement for Firouzja to be able to continue playing the tournament against his opponents in presence of an arbiter. Firouzja’s fighting spirit drew a lot of comparisons with Anthony Miles who played his game on a bed.

Today, 19th May is a rest day. However, Firouzja will play his pending fourth game against Fabiano Caruana at the usual time.

Alireza Firouzja has decided to continue his tournament. Organizers made a special arrangement for him | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA) – Jorden van Foreest (NED): 0.5-0.5 | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Bogdan-Daniel Deac (ROU) – Fabiano Caruana (USA): 0.5-0.5 | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Firouzja – Sindarov: 0.5-0.5

Alireza Firouzja (FRA, 2759) and Javokhir Sindarov (UZB, 2776) have played five Classical rated games against each other. Firouzja won two and the remaining three ended in draws. Sindarov could have scored his first win against his opponent.

Position after 37.Nf1

37…Ne5 is recommended by the computer. The idea is to play g4-g3 and then capture the pinned knight. The game continued 37…Nf6 38.Ra7 Rc1 and it eventually ended in a draw.

Alireza Firouzja managed to hold a draw from a difficult position against Javokhir Sindarov | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

After the third round, Alireza Firouzja suffered an ankle injury. Fortunately, the ankle wasn't broken or fractured. After consulting with his team and the organizers, he has decided to continue the tournament in a special room with the agreement with his opponents in the… pic.twitter.com/HTrqd7QhXB
— Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour) May 18, 2026

From Tony Miles to Alireza Firouzja – the fighting spirit lives on! No matter the circumstances, the game goes on! ♟️#chess #Grandchesstour #alirezafirouzja #chesshistory
Photos from GCT by Lennart Ootes pic.twitter.com/XKIe3gxEy9
— Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour) May 18, 2026

Well, game 3 of the 1972 Fischer-Spassky world championship match in Reykjavík was also played in a special back room, but that was for psychological injuries! 😂 Get well, Alireza! https://t.co/3p0bAyQuS7
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) May 18, 2026

R Praggnanandhaa had a very difficult chance to push for a win against Wesley So (USA) | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Anish Giri (NED) – Vincent Keymer (GER): 0.5-0.5 | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Ceremonial first move of Round 5| Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Replay Round 5 live stream

Replay Round 5 live commentary by GMs Yasser Seirawan, Peter Svidler, & Cristian Chirila, IMs Nazi Paikidze & Irene Sukandar, and WGM Anastasiya Karlovich | Video: Saint Louis Chess Club

Replay Round 5 games

Schedule and Format

Super Chess Classic will have one round per day from 14th to 23rd May. Rest day is on Tuesday 19th May. Each round starts at 4 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST, except the last round which starts at 2 p.m. local time, 4:30 p.m. IST. It will be a 10-player Round Robin event. Time control will be 40 moves in 90 minutes + 30 minutes + 30 seconds increment from move no.1.