Grandmaster Jan-Krzysztof Duda claimed victory in Chess.com's Freestyle Friday tournament on May 1 with a dramatic comeback. He edged out GM Jose Martinez on tiebreaks after both finished with strong scores. The win marks Duda's second time securing both Titled Tuesday and Freestyle Friday in the same week.
GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda overcame a mid-tournament deficit to win Freestyle Friday on May 1. He was not among the early leaders like Martinez, GM Matthias Bluebaum, and IM Sahib Singh, who started 4/4. Martinez extended his perfect score to 5/5 by defeating Singh in round five, then beat Bluebaum to lead by a full point at 6/6, while Duda reached 5/6 alongside players like GM Tsydypov. Duda turned the tables in round seven against Martinez, unleashing 8.f6! and 9.Rxf6!! for a decisive attack that proved too strong. Tsydypov joined the lead by beating GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov, but round eight draws against Duda and Martinez allowed GM Hans Niemann to tie for first. Rounds nine and ten saw Martinez regain the sole lead with wins over Niemann, Tsydypov, and others, while Duda drew a tense game with GM Aravindh Chithambaram. In the final round, Martinez drew GM Niemann after missing a pawn-losing tactic on 25...Qe7, but Duda defeated IM Marco Materia to force the tie. Duda's tiebreaks prevailed by one point for the $400 first prize. Martinez took second ($250), Tsydypov third ($150) at 8.5/11, Niemann fourth, and GM Anna Muzychuk the women's prize ($100) for the second straight week. This victory is Duda's second Freestyle Friday win since the Championship series began February 20, 2026, matching IM Renato Terry. It echoes his prior double win of Titled Tuesday and Freestyle Friday from February 18-21, 2025.
