D. Gukesh Clinches Rapid Title At Grand Chess Tour Zagreb 2025

D. Gukesh advances to the blitz section with a commanding victory in the rapid section, clinching the title at Grand Tour Zagreb.

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The 19-year-old world champion D. Gukesh dominated the rapid section of the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz (Grand Chess Tour 2025) with an outstanding performance in Zagreb.

Final Standings – Rapid Section

D. Gukesh – 14.0 / 18 (6 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss) 
Jan‑Krzysztof Duda – 11.0 (only player to defeat Gukesh in round 1) 
Magnus Carlsen – 10.0, finishing third after slipping in later rounds

Tournament Highlights

A Rocky Start & Spectacular Recovery
Gukesh stumbled in the opening round, losing to Duda. However, this proved to be the catalyst for his turnaround; he responded with five straight wins, dismantling elite opponents such as Firouzja, Caruana, Carlsen, Abdusattorov, and So. Crushing the Reign of Magnus, His win over Magnus Carlsen in Round 4 was a highlight, revered by commentators. Garry Kasparov remarked, “Now we can question Magnus’ domination… It was a big fight. And Magnus lost.” Carlsen had previously underestimated Gukesh but was outplayed in the tactical exchange.

Calm and Tactical Precision in Finale
In the final round, Gukesh delivered a textbook performance against Wesley So, converting a middlegame advantage into a decisive win in just 36 moves 

Mid-Tournament Resilience
On Day 3, after two quiet draws (against Anish Giri and Ivan Saric), Gukesh regained momentum with a commanding victory over So, extending his lead to three points in the blitz phase 

Tournament Context & Outlook

• Format: 10-player rapid round-robin (25+10), followed by 18 blitz games (5+2).
• Prize Fund: Total $175,000 across rapid and blitz 
• Tour Schedule: Zagreb is the third of five GCT events in 2025, capped by finals in São Paulo 

Blitz Section

The blitz section of the Grand Chess Tour 2025 in Zagreb is scheduled for July 5 and 6. These rapid-fire rounds will determine the final standings, with the overall champion of the Zagreb leg crowned based on combined results from both the rapid and blitz formats.

Zagreb represents the third stop on this year’s Grand Chess Tour. Earlier legs took place in Poland and Romania, where India’s R Praggnanandhaa secured a title win in Bucharest and finished third in Warsaw.

Following Zagreb, the tour will shift to the United States in August for the next two events. It will then conclude in Brazil between September and October, with the final leg featuring a complete set of classical, rapid, and blitz games, offering a comprehensive test of each participant’s versatility.