Fabiano Caruana emerged victorious at the 2025 Grand Chess Tour Finals, defeating Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in an exciting final by a score of 15–13. The champion took home a $150,000 first prize.
The 2025 Grand Chess Tour Finals, featuring a $350,000 prize fund, took place from September 26 to October 3 at the WTC Events Center in São Paulo, Brazil. For the first time in history, the event was held in Latin America. The 2025 edition followed a single-elimination knockout format with mixed time controls (2 classical games, 2 rapid games, and 4 blitz games) and the following points distribution:
- Classical games: 6 points for a win, 3 for a draw, 0 for a loss
- Rapid games: 4 points for a win, 2 for a draw, 0 for a loss
- Blitz games: 2 points for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss
Both semifinal matches — Maxime Vachier-Lagrave vs. Praggnanandhaa R. and Fabiano Caruana vs. Levon Aronian — were decided in the faster time controls after all four classical games ended in draws. After a series of draws, Caruana won the third blitz game, which earned him a spot in the final.
In the other semifinal, Vachier-Lagrave took the lead by winning the first rapid game, but Praggnanandhaa narrowed the gap by prevailing in the second blitz encounter. However, the Frenchman shattered his opponent’s hopes by taking the third blitz game and advancing to the final.
The final match also turned into a thrilling battle in the rapid and blitz segments. After winning the first rapid game and drawing the second, MVL — a renowned blitz specialist — entered the blitz portion of the match with confidence, but Caruana had plans of his own. Somewhat unexpectedly, the American pulled off three straight wins, and sealed the title with a draw in the fourth blitz game.
In the match for third place, Aronian convincingly defeated Praggnanandhaa by a score of 20–8.
2025 GCT FINALS RESULTS
“The final game had its own share of drama, but I hope the fans got enjoyment from watching the action,” said Caruana. “It’s an honor to win the 2025 GCT. It’s so prestigious and difficult, especially in match play. I’m thrilled I was able to win this year’s Finals.”
“Congratulations to GM Fabiano Caruana on winning this year’s GCT,” said Rex Sinquefield, co-founder of the Saint Louis Chess Club. “Saint Louis was proud to host two exciting legs of the Tour, and we can’t wait to welcome the chess world back next year in our newly expanded club.”
“Congratulations to GM Fabiano Caruana on winning the GCT 2025 Finals, and to all players for their incredible performances. For us, helping bring the Tour to São Paulo was a unique opportunity to boost chess in the region. We hope it inspires people of all ages and backgrounds to play chess more, dream big, and achieve greatness,” said Augusta Dragic, President of the Superbet Foundation.
Photos: Lennart Ootes and Eric Rosen
Official website: grandchesstour.org/