Latest news with #SuperUnitedRapid&Blitz
Spectator
6 days ago
- Sport
- Spectator
Rapid & Blitz, Croatia
Before the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz tournament, held in Zagreb earlier this month, Magnus Carlsen spoke frankly: 'Gukesh hasn't done anything to indicate he's going to do well in such a tournament.' That was, in a sense, true. Granted, 19-year old Gukesh Dommaraju has been world champion since December, when he defeated the reigning champion Ding Liren in Singapore. But that match was played in classical chess, the slowest form of the game. Rapid games usually last 30-60 minutes in total, and blitz games less than ten. Success at those faster time limits calls for a well-honed intuition, whereas classical games require more in the way of stamina and an intense attention to detail. Gukesh has focused his efforts almost exclusively on classical chess. He skipped the World Rapid & Blitz Championships in New York in December, and almost a year had passed since he participated in internationally rated rapid or blitz events, while his performances in 'Freestyle' events (aka Chess960) have been underwhelming. But Gukesh proved in Zagreb that his skills are still developing fast. He confounded Carlsen's prediction by taking first place in the rapid event, including a turbulent win against the Norwegian himself (see below). Carlsen got revenge in the blitz event, where Gukesh finished last, so it was still Carlsen who topped the combined standings. Magnus Carlsen-Gukesh Dommaraju SuperUnited Rapid, Zagreb 2025 1 c4 e5 2 Nc3 Bb4 3 Nf3 Bxc3 4 dxc3 d6 5 e4 Nd7 6 Bd3 Nc5 7 Bc2 Nf6 8 Qe2 a5 9 Nd2 g6 10 Nf1 Be6 11 Bg5 h6 12 Bh4 g5 13 Bg3 Qd7 14 f3 Nh5 15 Ne3 Nf4 16 Qd2 b5 17 Nd5 Bxd5 18 cxd5 Nh5 A strange decision from Gukesh, driving the bishop to a better diagonal. Ke8-f8-g7 would have been better played immediately. 19 Bf2 Kf8 20 g3 Kg7 21 Be3 Qe7 22 Rg1 Nf6 (see above). It is a common misconception that knights are better than bishops in closed positions. That is only valid when the knights enjoy strong outposts. Here, the pawn on g3 sidelines the Nh5, while the Nc5 can be evicted at any moment by b2-b4. Nevertheless, Carlsen's next move backfires, because he has not yet brought his king to safety. Had Carlsen played 22 O-O instead of 22 Rh1-g1, his approach with b2-b4 might well have been successful. 23 b4 axb4 24 cxb4 Na4 25 Bd3 c6! Battling for the initiative, even at the cost of a pawn. 26 dxc6 d5! Forcing more lines open, since after 27 Bxb5 d4! 28 Bf2 Nc3 29 Bd3 g4! White would soon start shedding pawns. 27 exd5 Nxd5 28 a3 Rhd8 29 Rc1 Rd6 30 Bxb5 Ndc3 31 Bc5 Nxb5 32 Bxd6 Nxd6 In this murky position, White's vulnerable king is still the most significant factor. 33 Kf2 Nb6 34 Qd3 Qe6 A subtle move, introducing ideas of Qe6-a2+ and Qe6-h3, as well as bringing a knight to c4 to attack a3. 35 Rc5 35 Rge1 was probably a better choice, restraining e5-e4 but ceding the c6 pawn. After 35…Ndc4 36 Rc3 Qxc6 37 Rec1 Rc8 the game is at an impasse. e4 36 Qd4+ Kg8 37 Rd1 exf3 38 Re5 Now the game is beyond saving. 38 Rc2 was essential, in order to meet Qe6-h3 with Kf2-g1. However, Black retains the upper hand with 38…Nbc4 Qh3 39 Kxf3 Nbc4 There is no good answer to the dual threats of Nxe5+ and Rxa3+. 40 Ra5 Nxa5 41 bxa5 Qf5+ 42 Kg2 Qc2+ 43 Kg1 Nf5 44 Qd7 Ne3 45 Rd2 Qc1+ 46 Kf2 Ng4+ 47 Ke2 Ne5 48 Qe7 Nxc6 49 Qe4 Rxa5 White resigns
Business Wire
08-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen Adds to Grand Chess Tour Legacy with Victory in Zagreb at 2025 SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia
ZAGREB, Croatia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With characteristic brilliance and unshakable composure, five-time World Champion and World No. 1 Grandmaster (GM) Magnus Carlsen secured yet another milestone in his legendary career, winning the 2025 SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia — a Grand Chess Tour (GCT) event — with a round to spare. Five-time World Champion and World No. 1 Grandmaster (GM) Magnus Carlsen secured yet another milestone in his legendary career, winning the 2025 SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia — a Grand Chess Tour event — with a round to spare. Share 'What I really like about this event is the format – you have a lot of games and you have a lot of time to come back,' said Carlsen. Carlsen's commanding performance earned him 22.5 points across rapid and blitz formats, marking his sixth consecutive Rapid & Blitz triumph on the GCT and an astonishing tenth win in just 12 appearances. Carlsen earned $40,000 for his performance. 'SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia was a thrilling event and a fitting celebration of world-class chess in Zagreb,' said Michael Khodarkovsky, GCT Executive Director. 'Congratulations to Magnus Carlsen on an extraordinary performance and yet another Rapid & Blitz title. This year's tournament holds special significance as we mark the 10th anniversary of the Grand Chess Tour, and we're deeply grateful to Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and SuperUnited for their continued partnership in making this event such a success.' GM Wesley So from the United States finished in second place, taking home a prize of $30,000, followed by current World Champion GM Gukesh Dommaraju, who took third place and $25,000. 'Congratulations to Magnus Carlsen on his victory at the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz in Zagreb,' said Augusta Dragic, President of the Superbet Foundation. 'A sincere thank you to all the remarkable players who made these five days truly unforgettable — showcasing world-class talent and genuine sportsmanship. As we celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Grand Chess Tour, we hope this event continues to inspire people of all ages to play chess. The Superbet Foundation is proud to be part of this journey, supporting the growth of the game and the values it represents.' Final results for the 2025 SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia are as follows: POSITION PLAYER COUNTRY PRIZE MONEY 1 GM Magnus Carlsen NOR $40,000 2 GM Wesley So USA $30,000 3 GM Gukesh Dommaraju IND $25,000 4 GM Alireza Firouzja FRA $17,500 4 GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda POL $17,500 6 GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov UZB $11,000 7 GM Fabiano Caruana USA $9,500 7 GM Anish Giri IND $9,500 9 GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu IND $8,000 10 GM Ivan Saric CRO $7,000 Expand Wildcard Players Named for US Legs of the Grand Chess Tour This year's historic GCT will wrap up with its final two regular tournaments, both hosted by the Saint Louis Chess Club in Saint Louis, Mo. — the Chess Capital of America. Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz: August 9-17, 2025 in Saint Louis, MO The Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz will kickoff the events starting on August 9. In the third and final speed chess event, six tour players and four wildcards will fight for a prize fund of $175,000 as the GCT regulars aim to finish at the top of the GCT standings. The format will see nine rounds of Rapid followed by eighteen rounds of Blitz, for a total of 135 games spread across five days. The four wildcard players include: GM Leinier Dominguez from the United States GM Liem Le from Vietnam GM Sam Shankland from the United States GM Grigoriy Oparin from the United States The complete field for the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz includes: Player Name Highlights Country Role FIDE Standard Rating (July '25) GM Fabiano Caruana Ranked No. 3 in the world, 2023 GCT Champion, Reigning Four-time US Champion USA Full Tour 2784 GM Gukesh Dommaraju Reigning World Champion IND Full Tour 2776 GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov 2021 World Rapid Champion UZB Full Tour 2771 GM Wesley So 2022 GCT Runner-up Winner, 2021 GCT Winner USA Full Tour 2745 GM Levon Aronian 2024 American Cup Winner; Two-time World Cup Champion USA Full Tour 2742 GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 2023 GCT Runner-up Winner, 2024 GCT 3rd place FRA Full Tour 2736 GM Leinier Dominguez 2008 FIDE World Blitz Champion; 2019 U.S. Championship Runner-up USA Wildcard 2738 GM Liem Le 2013 FIDE World Blitz Champion VIE Wildcard 2729 GM Sam Shankland 2025 American Continental Chess Champion; 2018 US Chess Champion USA Wildcard 2670 GM Grigoriy Oparin FIDE Grand Prix Qualifier, FIDE Grand Swiss 2021 3rd place USA Wildcard 2660 Expand Sinquefield Cup: August 16-29, 2025 in Saint Louis, MO The last regular season stop and signature event of the GCT circuit, the Sinquefield Cup continues its traditional classical format. Hosted annually by the Saint Louis Chess Club with a $350,000 total prize fund, the strongest tournament on American soil will be the final opportunity for competitors to earn points in the 2025 GCT, aiming to finish in the top four to qualify for the GCT Finals in Brazil. The tournament will feature one wildcard – GM Samuel Sevian from the United States. The complete field for the Sinquefield Cup includes: Player Name Highlights Country Role FIDE Standard Rating (July '25) GM Fabiano Caruana Ranked No. 3 in the world, 2023 GCT Champion, Reigning Four-time US Champion USA Full Tour 2784 GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu 2025 Tata Steel Champion IND Full Tour 2779 GM Gukesh Dommaraju Reigning World Champion IND Full Tour 2776 GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov 2021 World Rapid Champion UZB Full Tour 2771 GM Alireza Firouzja 2022 and 2024 GCT Champion FRA Full Tour 2766 GM Wesley So 2022 GCT Runner-up , 2021 GCT Winner USA Full Tour 2745 GM Levon Aronian 2024 American Cup Winner; Two-time World Cup Champion USA Full Tour 2742 GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 2023 GCT Runner-up Winner, 2024 GCT 3rd place FRA Full Tour 2736 GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda 2021 Fide World Cup Winner POL Full Tour 2725 GM Samuel Sevian 2021 FIDE Grand Swiss 3rd place USA Wildcard 2683 Expand Follow all the chess action in Saint Louis by watching the professional commentary team led by GM Yasser Seirawan on the Saint Louis Chess Club's Youtube and Twitch channels. GCT Celebrates 10th Anniversary with the Return of the GCT Finals The tenth annual GCT features the world's best players competing across four countries for a total prize fund of $1.6 million during the 2025 season. The circuit includes the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland in Warsaw, the Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest, the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia in Zagreb, the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, and the Sinquefield Cup in Saint Louis. The tour will come to a dramatic conclusion during the GCT Finals, set for September 26-October 4, 2025 during its first-ever stop in South America in the vibrant Brazilian City of São Paulo. The top four finishers of the regular season of five tournaments will compete for the purse of additional $350,000 in the knockout matches. For more information, visit Grand Chess Tour Grand Chess Tour is a circuit of international events, each demonstrating the highest level of organization for the world's best players. The legendary Garry Kasparov, one of the world's greatest ambassadors for chess, inspired the Grand Chess Tour and helped solidify the partnership between the organizers. All Grand Chess Tour 2024 events will comply with local and regional COVID-19 restrictions. For more information about the tour, please visit Superbet Foundation The Superbet Foundation, a non-profit organization, is responsible for coordinating the Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives of the Superbet Group. Their goal is to support the advancement of health, education, and sports initiatives, with a special emphasis on promoting the game of chess and its myriad benefits within all the communities they serve. Saint Louis Chess Club The Saint Louis Chess Club is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons and special lectures. Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Saint Louis Chess Club is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit
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First Post
07-07-2025
- Sport
- First Post
'My B-game is usually enough': Magnus Carlsen reacts after dominating Grand Chess Tour 2025
Carlsen finished at the top of the leaderboard with 22.5 out of 36 points. He looked calm and confident throughout the tournament and defeated local boy Ivan Saric in the final round to win the trophy. read more Magnus Carlsen took the first place at the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz and won $40,000 prize money. Image: Grand Chess Tour Magnus Carlsen proved once again why he is considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. The former World Champion completely dominated the Super United Rapid and Blitz tournament in Zagreb, Croatia, winning the title with a round to spare. The tournament was part of the Grand Chess Tour 2025. Carlsen finished at the top of the leaderboard with 22.5 out of 36 points. He looked calm and confident throughout the tournament and defeated local boy Ivan Saric in the final round to win the trophy. After winning the title, Carlsen gave an honest reaction that caught everyone's attention. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Carlsen's first reaction after SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz win 'When nobody else has a great performance, my B-game is usually enough. Always striving for more though!' the current World No. 1 wrote on X (formerly Twitter). When nobody else has a great performance, my B-game is usually enough. Always striving for more though! — Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) July 6, 2025 Carlsen had finished third in the rapid section of the tournament held from 2 to 4 July. Current World Champion Dommaraju Gukesh had secured the first place with 14 out of 18 points in the rapid leg. Carlsen had just 10 points going into the blitz section of the Grand Chess Tour event. However, the five-time world champion made a remarkable comeback, scoring 12.5 points in the blitz section, which helped him finish at the top of the overall standings. Thanks to his victory, Carlsen won USD 40,000 as prize money out of the total pool of USD 1,75,000. American Grandmaster Wesley So finished second with 20 points and took home USD 30,000, while Gukesh won USD 25,000 after securing third place with 19.5 points. Gukesh edged Duda Jan-Krzysztof of Poland and Alireza Firouzja of France by just 0.5 points to secure the podium finish. SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia: Final standings 1. Carlsen (Norway, 22.5 points) 2. Wesley So (USA, 20 points) STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 3. D Gukesh (India, 19.5 points) 4-5. Duda Jan-Krzysztof (Poland), Alireza Firouzja (France) 19 points each 6. Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan, 18 points) 7-8. Fabiano Caruana (USA), Anish Giri (Netherlands) 17 points each 9. R Praggnanandhaa (India, 15 points) 10. Ivan Saric (Croatia, 13 points)
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First Post
05-07-2025
- Sport
- First Post
'Beating Magnus is always special': Gukesh reflects on crushing Carlsen at Grand Chess Tour 2025
19-year-old chess star D Gukesh reflected on his run at the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz tournament, where he claimed the rapid title with 14 points. Gukesh spoke about his comeback wins against Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana, and how staying calm helped him win from losing positions. read more Indian chess star Dommaraju Gukesh was all smiles after a successful outing at the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz tournament, where he registered two draws, one loss, and six wins to finish at the top of the standings. Speaking to the organisers of the Grand Chess Tour after Day 2, the current world champion said it felt great to finish the day on a perfect note. Gukesh won the rapid title of the tournament in Zagreb on Friday, ending the event with 14 out of 18 points. He defeated American Grandmaster Wesley So in the final round to end the rapid tournament on a positive note. Before that, Gukesh defeated five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen, American GM Fabiano Caruana, and Uzbek player Nodirbek Abdusattorov on Day 2. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Yeah, for sure. Three wins in a day feels quite good. First game was pretty good, second and third were not great but in rapid, you can't really have good positions all the time. I'm glad I managed to make most of them,' Gukesh said after Day 2 of the tournament on Thursday. Gukesh on defeating Carlsen After defeating World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, Gukesh admitted that his position wasn't great in that game, but he still managed to turn things around. Gukesh said that it's nice he could win against Carlsen despite making a really bad move earlier in the game. 'Beating Magnus is always special for sure and I think this also gives bit more confidence. Because I just had a horrible position from the opening. I mixed up something really bad and then it's nice that I could win against Magnus from two losing positions in a row,' Gukesh said. 'It's not always easy. But you make the most of 'don't lose from this point'. Also against Fabiano, I had a pretty bad position. But atleast he was taking too much time so it was not really that big a practical disadvantage. Just one move at a time. Stay in the game,' he added. Gukesh lost just one match in the tournament, which came against Jan-Kryzsztof Duda of Poland on the opening day. The draws came against Anish Giri of the Netherlands and then against Ivan Saric of Croatia on the final day. The bitz event is scheduled to begin on 5 July.
Time of India
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
D Gukesh reveals bet with cousin if he beat Magnus Carlsen; leads by 3 points in Zagreb
D Gukesh beat World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in the rapid format in Zagreb. (Image credit: D Gukesh clinched the rapid title at the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz tournament in Zagreb, Croatia, after an impressive performance that included defeating World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen . Following his victory, Gukesh shared a humorous story about a promised shoutout to his cousin who had predicted his win over Carlsen. After forgetting to mention his cousin in the post-match interview following his victory on Thursday against Carlsen, Gukesh made up for it later. "It is a bit funny. Before I came into this tournament, one of my cousins told me that I was going to beat Magnus. So we made a deal that if I do beat Magnus, I will give him a shoutout in my interview. I completely forgot yesterday, and he was quite upset about that," Gukesh said with a laugh. The young grandmaster showed remarkable resilience in the tournament. After losing his opening game to Jan-Krzysztof Duda, he bounced back strongly with five straight wins. His victory over Carlsen in Round 4 was a key moment that put him in the driver's seat. Gukesh finished the rapid section on a high note, defeating Wesley So of the United States in the final round. He won the game in 36 moves by capitalising on a tactical mistake. His overall performance included six wins, two draws, and just one loss. Looking ahead to the blitz format, Gukesh remains focused on maintaining his strong form. "I think so far I have been playing good chess, so strategy will be to play good chess with good time management and I hope that everything will work out," he explained. Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
