Bogdan Deac, the Romanian chess player with the highest ELO, invited to play in two of the five stages of the Grand Chess Tour

Grand Chess Tour (GCT), one of the most important international chess circuits, which brings together the best players in the world, has announced the selected players who will benefit from wild cards and will play in the first three stages of the 2026 edition. Grandmaster Bogdan Deac will play in Bucharest and Zagreb, with the chess players competing for a total prize fund of 2 million dollars.

Grandmaster Bogdan-Daniel Deac, the highest-ranked Romanian player in the FIDE hierarchy, with an ELO of 2655, benefits from a wildcard to participate in two of the five stages of the international Grand Chess Tour (GCT) 2026 – Super Chess Classic Romania, which will take place in Bucharest, and Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia, held in Zagreb. The Grand Chess Tour, founded by the legendary Garry Kasparov eleven years ago, has become one of the most important international chess circuits, managing to bring the world elite of the mind sport to the starting line year after year. This year's edition offers a total prize fund of 2 million dollars, with the one in Romania being the most substantial of the five stages – 475,000 dollars.

The prize fund is provided by the Super Foundation and the Saint Louis Chess Club, whose long-standing partnership has contributed to establishing the GCT as the most respected and sustainable circuit in the modern era of chess, it is stated in a press release. Since 2022, the Super Foundation has become a global strategic partner of the Grand Chess Tour, by organizing and fully sponsoring three (Bucharest, Warsaw, and Zagreb) of the five stages of the circuit.

"Grand Chess Tour continues to be a benchmark of excellence in elite competition, and the 2026 edition reflects both a decade of circuit experience and the future of this sport. The circuit brings together both established champions and young talents, and chess fans from around the world can expect a season full of memorable confrontations. The Super Foundation proudly supports yet another edition of this extraordinary chess event, which has promoted excellence, fair play, and innovation in the international chess community from the very beginning," said Augusta Dragic, President of the Super Foundation.

Poland opens the European season of the circuit with the Super Rapid & Blitz Poland stage (May 3-10, Warsaw), with total prizes of 200,000 dollars. The tournament will include five permanent players of the circuit and five invited players (wild cards). The five invited players are Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland), Vladimir Fedoseev (Slovenia), Javokhir Sindarov (Uzbekistan), Hans Niemann (USA), and Radoslaw Wojtaszek (Poland).

The second stage in Bucharest, Super Chess Classic Romania (from May 12-24, 2026), follows. Bogdan Deac, the champion of Romania, will participate alongside all nine permanent players (full tour) of the circuit, which will conclude on August 28 in Saint Louis (USA).

Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia is the second rapid and blitz tournament in the circuit and the third stage, with a prize fund of 200,000 dollars. The competition will include seven permanent players and three invited players (wild cards) – Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan), Bogdan-Daniel Deac (Romania), and Ivan Saric (Croatia).

"The 2026 edition of the GCT marks the beginning of the second decade of the circuit with one of the strongest starting lists in history. There will be veterans of the GCT present, alongside some of the most interesting young talents in today's world chess. The GCT has distinguished itself by incorporating the best players in the world, and this year's edition is no exception. The list includes the reigning world champion Gukesh and the winner of the World Cup, Sindarov," said GCT Executive Director Michael Khodarkovsky.

Grand Chess Tour continues to offer one of the most attractive prize funds – 2 million dollars, increased from 1.6 million dollars last year. The prizes for each of the two classical format tournaments will be 350,000 dollars and 200,000 dollars for rapid & blitz. Additionally, the top four players after five stages will compete at the end of the season in the GCT final for the grand trophy and an additional prize of 450,000 dollars. There will also be a bonus fund of 250,000 dollars, equally distributed (125,000 dollars) between the two classical format stages.

Each stage manages to generate a global physical and online audience of millions of chess fans, which strengthens the GCT's reputation as the most prestigious international circuit of this sport.

The 2026 circuit schedule – Six tournaments in four countries
Super Rapid & Blitz Poland: May 3-10
Super Chess Classic Romania: May 12-24
Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia: June 29 – July 6
Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz: July 31 – August 7
Sinquefield Cup: August 8-21
GCT Finals: August 21-28

The Romanian Chess Federation continues in 2026 to be a co-organizer and partner of the stage in Romania.