Panaji: Grandmaster Leon Luke Mendonca of Goa finished joint third alongside five-time World Champion Magnus Carlsen and others at the Grenke Freestyle Chess Open 2026 held at Germany.
Leon scored 7 points from nine rounds, ending in a large tie for third place with Carlsen, Ian Nepomniachtchi and several others. He registered six wins in the event, suffered one defeat against Hans Niemann while playing with the black pieces, and drew two games one with white and one with black.
In the final round, Leon signed off in style, defeating Denis Kadric with the white pieces to finish his campaign on a positive note.
The Goan Grandmaster remained consistent throughout the nine rounds and stayed in contention in a field featuring several top international players.
Germany’s Vincent Keymer won the tournament with 7.5 points, recording six wins along with three draws to secure first place. France’ Maxime Vachier-Lagrave finished second after a strong performance over the course of the event. Leon’s 7-point finish placed him in a large group sharing third position alongside Magnus Carlsen.
