Romania Grand Prix 2026 Kicks off at Bucharest

by Devansh Singh - 10/05/2026

The first leg of the Romania Grand Prix 2026 kicked off in Bucharest at the iconic Palace of the Parliament on the 9th May 2026. It is a 2-day Rapid event in which top players from across the globe are taking part. Vasyl Ivanchuk, SL Naryanan, Rauf Mamedov, Vaibhav Suri, and Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara are some of the big names taking part in this event. After completion of 4 rounds on 9th May, most of the top seeds are maintaining good results with 4/4. Romania Grand Prix 2026 is a premier international chess circuit organized by the Romanian Chess Federation, bringing together elite players, world-class competition, and iconic destinations. The remaining 6 rounds will be played on 10th May 2026. Photos: Abhyudaya Ram

“Education Through Chess”

The “Education through Chess” program is a national initiative launched by the Romanian Chess Federation to introduce chess into schools as an educational tool, not just a competitive sport. The main idea behind the program is that chess helps children improve their concentration, logical thinking, patience, decision-making, memory, and emotional control.

There was a kids' chess tournament before the start of the Bucharest Grand Prix at the same venue, in which almost 250+ kids played. Check out a glimpse of that

One of the best venues in the world to play chess: Palace of Parliament, Bucharest

The Romanian Chess Federation officially launched the national project to promote the educational benefits of chess for children across the country.

The Romanian Chess Federation presents the program as a long-term educational investment rather than only a talent-hunting project.

Romania has recently become one of the most active countries in Europe in terms of school chess development, youth tournaments, and federation-backed grassroots programs

Not Camera Shy at all

Reception Hall at the Palace of Parliament

Trophies for the kids

Can you guess the name of the mascot?

We are the Champions!!

Winners

And the Grand Prix Began

More than 550 players are taking part in this grand event

Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara is on 4/4

Chucky is also on 4/4 after 1st day

Rauf Mamedov 4/4

SL Naryanan is also co-leading with 4/4 points

Focus!

Sale!! Sale!! Sale!!

Replay Available games from round 1-4

Parings Round 5

Bo.	No.		White	Rtg	Pts.	Result	Pts.		Black	Rtg	No.
1	1	GM	Santos Latasa, Jaime	2630	4		4	GM	Dimitrov, Radoslav	2471	16
2	19	GM	Nasuta, Grzegorz	2449	4		4	GM	Martinez Alcantara, Jose Eduardo	2625	2
3	3	GM	Ivanchuk, Vasyl	2618	4		4	GM	Pakleza, Zbigniew	2430	24
4	5	GM	Mamedov, Rauf	2594	4		4	GM	Manolache, Marius	2384	30
5	23	IM	Stoyanov, Tsvetan	2432	4		4	GM	Georgiev, Kiril	2571	6
6	7	GM	Narayanan, S L	2546	4		4	GM	Nevednichy, Vladislav	2327	42
7	25	GM	Enchev, Ivajlo	2420	4		4	GM	Suleymanli, Aydin	2535	8
8	11	GM	Mastrovasilis, Dimitrios	2521	4		4	IM	Manea, Alexandru	2240	61
9	51	IM	Kanakaris, Georgios	2282	4		4	GM	Mastrovasilis, Athanasios	2520	12
10	13	GM	Gavrilescu, David	2516	4		4	FM	Serban, Cristian-Stefan	2210	70

Details

Standings after 4 rounds

Rk.	SNo		Name	sex	FED	RtgI	Pts.	K	rtg+/-
1	14	GM	Lupulescu, Constantin		ROU	2515	4	10	6,2
2	25	GM	Enchev, Ivajlo		BUL	2420	4	10	-1,5
3	5	GM	Mamedov, Rauf		AZE	2594	4	10	5
4	12	GM	Mastrovasilis, Athanasios		GRE	2520	4	10	3,1
5	19	GM	Nasuta, Grzegorz		POL	2449	4	10	-1,2
6	1	GM	Santos Latasa, Jaime		ESP	2630	4	10	5,4
7	7	GM	Narayanan, S L		IND	2546	4	10	7,4
8	24	GM	Pakleza, Zbigniew		POL	2430	4	10	-1,4
9	30	GM	Manolache, Marius		ROU	2384	4	10	-6
10	6	GM	Georgiev, Kiril		BUL	2571	4	10	1,2

Details

Bucharest Grand Prix Rapid

Format: Swiss system, 10 rounds, 15'+5'' – open for all legitimate Romanian and foreign players who have an FIDE ID; valid tournament for Rapid Chess ELO calculation.

Venue: Palace of Parliament – Reception Hall – entrance on Izvor Street

Palace of Parliament

Schedule
08.05.2026 Arrival of participants
09.05.2026 Opening Ceremony & Technical Meeting 16:30 EET
09.05.2026 Rounds 1-4 17:00 EET
10.05.2026 Rounds 5-7 10:00 EET
10.05.2026 Rounds 8-10 15:00 EET
10.05.2026 Closing ceremony 18:30 EET

Prizes

Partners

Bucharest Grand Prix: Regulations, Details, Standings, and Pairings

Romania Grand Prix

5 Tournaments, 5 beautiful Venues

In 2026, the Romanian Chess Federation continues its mission of promoting and developing chess in Romania and across the world. Building on a century of tradition and excellence, Romania strengthens its position as one of Europe’s most dynamic chess hubs with the 5th edition of the Romania Grand Prix! This prestigious circuit will bring together top players in five exciting open tournaments – 2 classical and 3 rapid events with a total prize fund of €150,000. The competition will be hosted in five of Romania’s most beautiful cities: Bucharest, Alba Iulia, Brașov, Arad, and Craiova.

Tournament Details

10 reasons to visit Romania

Romania Grand Prix Point System

Players will be scored according to the grid below for the place obtained in the general ranking of each tournament within the circuit, these points being cumulated with the score obtained by the player in the tournament (for classical chess tournaments, the number of points in the tournament x 2). The cumulative score of a participant is calculated by summing their best 4 results obtained in the tournaments of the Grand Prix Romania circuit.

Important Information

The total prize fund of the circuit is 150,000 euros
Any player, regardless of his elo rating, has the right to participate in the Grand Prix Romania as long as he has a valid FIDE ID on the date of registration.
The registration of athletes in competitions can be done until a deadline communicated in the prospectus of each competition. Registrations will be made exclusively through the turnee.frsah.ro platform
Each stage of the Grand Prix Romania circuit will have a dress code mentioned