GCT Finals: Keymer escapes with draw in exchange-down endgame

by Martina Gerdts
8/23/2026 – In the first classical games of the semifinals at the GCT Finals, Vincent Keymer faced Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. Keymer gave up the exchange in the middlegame, after which enough pieces were traded off to leave him with an inferior position. In the end, he managed to save a draw. Fabiano Caruana was also on the defensive side in his draw against Wesley So. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour
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Classical games in the Grand Chess Tour Finals typically end in draws, and the first round of this year's edition once again followed that pattern. Both games played on Saturday evening ended drawn, although the outcome was not always so clear-cut over the course of the games. 

Semifinals: Classical games #1

Both draws earned the players three points each in the tournament standings. 

While the position between Wesley So and Fabiano Caruana remained largely balanced, matters became dramatic on the board between Vincent Keymer and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu.

Vincent Keymer 3 - 3 Praggnanandhaa

Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu let his advantage slip in the endgame | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Keymer opened the game with the English Opening 1.c4. In the Symmetrical Variation, the players reached a position that has not been seen very often.

Keymer - Praggnanandhaa

Wesley So and Fabiano Caruana exchanged material until the game ended in a draw (3-3) | Photo: Lennart Ootes

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Topics: Grand Chess Tour Finals 2026
Martina Gerdts studied Portuguese and Spanish linguistics and nowadays teaches language classes and writes about chess and languages. Having started playing chess for a tournament trip to Paris, she is now active not only as a player but in a diverse range of activities connected to chess. This includes among others teaching chess classes, writing about chess and being active as an arbiter.
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60m The Two Knights

This entry into the 60 minutes series concentrates on the Modern variation of the Italian game where White opens the centre early : 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 d4 exd4 5 e5!. This line can be reached by various move orders, most frequently from the Scotch 3 d4 exd4 4 Bc4. It's a sharp variation and Grandmasters such as Evgeny Sveshnikov have used it frequently,with very good results. It's a perfect line for club players to adopt which is relatively easy to learn and which contains many traps. All the main responses are covered here, including 5...d5, 5...Ng4 and 5...Ne4 and the conclusion is that is is difficult for Black to equalize in a straightforward way. Problems are being posed, which over the board might prove tough to solve.