Grand Chess Tour Unveils 2026 Wildcards and Event Lineups for Poland, Romania and Croatia

Tour showcases one of the strongest lineups competing for $2 Million Dollar Prize Fund

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Grand Chess Tour (GCT), a leading global circuit of international chess tournaments featuring the world’s best players, announced today the players selected as wildcards for the first three international legs of the 2026 GCT.

Super Rapid & Blitz Poland: May 3-10, 2026 in Warsaw, Poland

Super Rapid & Blitz Poland will kick off the GCT as 10 players battle for $200,000 in prizes. The event will feature five full-tour and five wildcard players:

• Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland)
• Vladimir Fedoseev (Slovenia)
• Javokhir Sindarov (Uzbekistan)
• Hans Niemann (USA)
• Radoslaw Wojtaszek (Poland)

The complete field for the first leg in Poland includes:

Player Name	Highlights	Country	Role	FIDE Standard Rating (March 2026)
GM Gukesh Dommaraju	Reigning World Champion	IND	Full Tour	2748
GM Fabiano Caruana	World No. 3, 2026 World Championship Candidates Qualifier; 2023 and 2025 GCT Champion, Reigning Five-time US Champion	USA	Full Tour	2795
GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave	2025 GCT 2^nd Place, 2024 GCT 3^rd Place	FRA	Full Tour	2720
GM Alireza Firouzja	2022 and 2024 GCT Champion	FRA	Full Tour	2759
GM Wesley So	2025 Sinquefield Cup Winner, 2022 GCT 2nd Place, 2021 GCT Winner	USA	Full Tour	2753
GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda	2021 World Cup Winner Poland’s top-ranked player	POL	Wild Card	2739
GM Vladimir Fedoseev	2025 Superbet Rapid & Blitz Champion	SVN	Wild Card	2708
GM Javokhir Sindarov	2025 World Cup Winner; 2026 World Championship Candidates Qualifier	UZB	Wild Card	2745
GM Hans Niemann	2024 Grenke Open Winner	USA	Wild Card	2735
GM Radoslaw Wojtaszek	Multiple-time Polish Champion	POL	Wild Card	2666

Super Chess Classic Romania: May 12-24, 2026 in Bucharest, Romania

Super Chess Classic Romania is the first classical event in the 2026 Tour, with a 10-player round-robin format and a total of $475,000 in prizes. The tournament will feature all nine full-tour players and GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac as a wildcard player.

The complete field for the second leg in Romania includes:

Player Name	Highlights	Country	Role	FIDE Standard Rating (March 2026)
GM Gukesh Dommaraju	Reigning World Champion	IND	Full Tour	2748
GM Fabiano Caruana	World No. 3, 2026 World Championship Candidates Qualifier; 2023 and 2025 GCT Champion, Reigning Five-time US Champion	USA	Full Tour	2795
GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave	2025 GCT 2^nd Place, 2024 GCT 3^rd Place	FRA	Full Tour	2720
GM Levon Aronian	2025 GCT 3^rd Place; 2025 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz Champion, 2024 American Cup Winner; Two-time World Cup Champion	USA	Full Tour	2729
GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu	2026 World Championship Candidates Qualifier; 2025 Superbet Chess Classic Romania Champion, 2025 Tata Steel Champion	IND	Full Tour	2741
GM Vincent Keymer	Ranked No. 4; 2025 Chennai Grand Masters Winner	GER	Full Tour	2776
GM Anish Giri	2026 World Championship Candidates Qualifier; 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss Champion	NED	Full Tour	2753
GM Alireza Firouzja	2022 and 2024 GCT Champion	FRA	Full Tour	2759
GM Wesley So	2025 Sinquefield Cup Winner, 2022 GCT 2nd Place, 2021 GCT Winner	USA	Full Tour	2753
GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac	2026 Romanian Champion	ROM	Wild Card	2655

Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia: June 29-July 6, 2026 in Zagreb, Croatia

Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia is the second rapid and blitz event of the tour with a total prize fund of $200,000. The event will include seven full-tour and three wildcard players:

• Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan)
• Bogdan-Daniel Deac (Romania)
• Ivan Saric (Croatia)

The complete field for the final European leg in Croatia includes:

Player Name	Highlights	Country	Role	FIDE Standard Rating (March 2026)
GM Gukesh Dommaraju	Reigning World Champion	IND	Full Tour	2748
GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave	2025 GCT 2^nd Place, 2024 GCT 3^rd Place	FRA	Full Tour	2720
GM Levon Aronian	2025 GCT 3^rd Place; 2025 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz Champion, 2024 American Cup Winner; Two-time World Cup Champion	USA	Full Tour	2729
GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu	2026 World Championship Candidates Qualifier; 2025 Superbet Chess Classic Romania Champion, 2025 Tata Steel Champion	IND	Full Tour	2741
GM Vincent Keymer	Ranked No. 4; 2025 Chennai Grand Masters Winner	GER	Full Tour	2776
GM Anish Giri	2026 World Championship Candidates Qualifier; 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss Champion	NED	Full Tour	2753
GM Alireza Firouzja	2022 and 2024 GCT Champion	FRA	Full Tour	2759
GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov	2026 Tata Steel Champion 2021 World Rapid Champion	UZB	Wild Card	2771
GM Ivan Saric	Multiple-time Croatian Champion	CRO	Wild Card	2661
GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac	2026 Romanian Champion	ROM	Wild Card	2655

Since its inception, the GCT has established itself as the definitive arena for elite chess competition, drawing the world’s most decorated champions and top-ranked stars to iconic stages across Europe and the United States. With a total prize fund of $2 million across six tournaments, the 2026 GCT offers one of the richest purses in the sport, underscoring both the competitive intensity and financial prestige of the Tour. The prize fund is provided by the Super Foundation and the Saint Louis Chess Club, whose long-standing partnership has helped build the GCT into the most respected and enduring tour of the modern chess era.

“The 2026 GCT begins its second decade with one of the strongest lineups in its history, combining experienced veterans of the GCT with some of the most exciting young talents in the game. The GCT has always been known for bringing together the world’s top players, and this year is no exception. The field includes reigning World Champion Gukesh and the World Cup winner Sindarov,” said GCT Executive Director Michael Khodarkovsky.

Each tournament stage is hosted in world-class cities, attracting international media coverage and millions of fans worldwide. From Europe to the United States, the Tour has become chess’s premier global circuit, delivering elite competition on an international stage and reinforcing its reputation as the sport’s most prestigious series.

“The Grand Chess Tour continues to set the gold standard for elite competition, and the 2026 edition reflects both the rich legacy of the Tour and the dynamic future of the sport. By bringing together established champions and fearless rising stars, we celebrate the full spectrum of excellence in chess. Fans around the world can look forward to a season defined by unforgettable battles at the board. The Super Foundation is proud to support yet another edition of this extraordinary tour and to champion an event that promotes excellence, sportsmanship, and innovation across the global chess community,” said Augusta Dragic, President of the Super Foundation.

The 2026 tour schedule consists of six tournaments as follows:

• Super Rapid & Blitz Poland: May 3-10, 2026, Warsaw, Poland
• Super Chess Classic Romania: May 12-24, 2026 Bucharest, Romania
• Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia: Jun. 29-Jul. 6, 2026 Zagreb, Croatia
• Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz: Jul. 31-Aug. 7, 2026 Saint Louis, USA
• Sinquefield Cup: Aug. 8-21, 2026 Saint Louis, USA
• GCT Finals: Aug. 21-28, 2026 Saint Louis, USA

For more information, visit grandchesstour.org.

Grand Chess Tour

Grand Chess Tour (GCT) is a circuit of international events, each demonstrating the highest level of organization for the world's best players. The legendary Garry Kasparov, one of the world's greatest ambassadors for chess, inspired the GCT and helped solidify the partnership between the organizers. For more information about the tour, please visit grandchesstour.org.

Super Foundation

The Super Foundation, a non-profit organization, is responsible for coordinating the Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives of Super Technologies. Their goal is to support the advancement of health, education, and sports initiatives, with a special emphasis on promoting the game of chess and its myriad benefits within all the communities they serve

Saint Louis Chess Club

The Saint Louis Chess Club is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to making chess a vital part of the community and advancing Saint Louis’s reputation as the nation’s premier chess destination—the U.S. Chess Capital. In addition to hosting world-class tournaments and providing a welcoming space for casual and competitive play, the Club offers a robust slate of educational programming, including beginner lessons, chess improvement classes, lectures, and special events for players of all ages and skill levels.

Recognizing the cognitive, academic, and social benefits of chess, the Saint Louis Chess Club is deeply committed to scholastic education. The Club supports existing chess programs in area schools while actively developing new in-school and after-school initiatives that introduce students to the game and help young players thrive both on and off the board. For more information, visit www.saintlouischessclub.org.