Organizers of the Grand Chess Tour announced that French GM Alireza Firouzja withdraws from the GCT Super Chess Classic Romania 2026 on May 20. Alireza commented on his decision, citing an ankle injury:

Alireza Firouzja

Alireza Firouzja

French GM

“Unfortunately, due to an ankle injury sustained during the event, I have decided to withdraw from the tournament.

Thank you to the organizers for their support and accommodations, and thank you to everyone following the games. I wish the players and organizers the best for the rest of the tournament!”

Alireza Firouzja played 5/9 games of the event. Current tournament standings will not change, and the results of Firouzja’s games will count in the final standings. Games played by Alireza will count in the FIDE rating calculation. No changes apply according to FIDE rule on withdrawal from a tournament after playing 50% of games (6.6, paragraph 2).

Alireza Firouzja did not show up for his game in the tournament on May 17. On May 18 he played against Uzbek GM Javokhir Sindarov in a special room, lying on a bed due to an injured ankle. On May 19 Alireza played a rescheduled game with American GM Fabiano Caruana.

The GCT Super Chess Classic Romania 2026 takes place from May 14 to 23, at the National Bank of Romania, Bucharest. Alireza Firouzja holds last place after 5 rounds.

Credit: Lennart Ootes