Fabiano Caruana clinched the 2024 SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia title with a dominant performance, securing victory with five rounds to spare. Going into the blitz segment with a comfortable lead, Fabiano continued his hot run and matched Magnus Carlsen’s record by scoring 27 points.

The American GM took the top position in the GCT overall standings, overtaking Alireza Firouzja.

With Caruana dominating the field, Wesley So, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and Alireza Firouzja battled for second place and ended up scoring 23 points and earning a $25,000 prize each.

Ian Nepomniachtchi and Levon Aronian had good moments throughout the event, but their inconsistent performances in the blitz segment did not allow them to climb higher.

Gukesh D, Anish Giri, Vidit Gujrathi, and Ivan Saric finished at the bottom.

Up next, the 2024 U.S. Juniors & Senior Championships from July 16–26.  All three tournaments are by invitation-only to showcase America’s past and upcoming chess phenoms. The expert commentary team of GM’s Yasser Seirawan and Cristian Chirila and IM Nazi Paikidze will call the action live and provide game analysis daily online starting at 1:20 p.m. CT on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels.

Photos: Lennart Ootes

Official website: grandchesstour.org/

Fabiano Caruana scored three straight victories on the final day of rapid and extended his lead over Wesley So to three points, going to the blitz segment of the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia. Wesley delivered a solid performance netting 4/6, while Levon Aronian, who drew with So in Round 7, defeated Anish Giri and Gukesh D and climbed to third position.

Round 7

In the key game of the round Fabiano Caruana comfortable equalized on the black side of Ragozin against Gukesh D but a single miss turned his position from fine to losing one.

Gukesh D – Fabiano Caruana

Fabiano just played 32…a5 which was met with 33. a4! White got rid of his a2-weakness and emerged clearly better thanks to his extra pawn in the center.

However, the young Indian first threw his advantage away and then completely misplayed an equal position and eventually lost.

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave defeated Vidit Gujrathi, while Alireza Firouzja beat the home player Ivan Saric.

Round 8

The leader did not get much out of the opening with white against Anish Giri, but the Dutchman’s decision to break through in the center with d6-d5 was refuted by Fabiano in a clinical fashion.

Facing Gukesh D, Levon Aronian ventured upon a queen sacrifice frowned upon by chess engines, but it eventually worked out very well for him as his opponent did not demonstrate necessary accuracy.

Vidit Gujrathi scored his first victory in the event over one of the leaders Alireza Firouzja after the Frenchman bungled an overwhelming position.

Alireza Firouzja – Vidit Gujrathi

After 36. Rf6+ Kg5 37. Bf7 Black is hopeless. Instead, Alireza played 36. e6? throwing most of his advantage. His troubles did not end there: 36…Rb3+ 37. Ke2 Rf3, Firouzja made another mistake 38. Rd1? Which proved to be the decisive one after precise 38…Kf6! | 0-1, 48 moves

Ivan Saric got a dangerous attack against Wesley So but spoiled it with several mistakes and capitulated on move 42.

Round 9

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave went wrong in a topical line of Ruy Lopez against Fabiano Caruana and lost a pawn without compensation. Fabiano committed an inaccuracy at some point but eventually he converted his extra material.

Levon Aronian scored his second straight victory after outplaying Anish Giri in a complicated middlegame.

Ian Nepomniachtchi bested Vidit after the Indian went for an erroneous rook sacrifice in a much better attacking position.

Vidit Gujrathi – Ian Nepomniachtchi

After 28. Rh4 a5 29. c4 White has a dangerous pressure. Vidit however played 28. Rxf6?? Apparently missing that after  28…Rxf6 the planned 29. Rxf6, with the idea of 29…gxf6 30 Bxf6 checkmate, fails to 29…Nxd5! As a result White had to play 29. Bxf6, but resigned just three moves later.

Day 4 of the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia continues Saturday, July 13th, with live commentary from GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Evgenij Miroshnichenko, and IM Jovanka Houska, and starting at 8:00 AM CDT. Tune in to the Saint Louis Chess Club’s Twitch & YouTube channels.

Photos: Lennart Ootes

Official website: grandchesstour.org/

Fabiano Caruana emerged as the sole leader after Round 6 of the Superunited Rapid and Blitz Croatia. After defeating Levon Aronian and Ivan Saric the #1 American player drew with Wesley So to finish the day on 9/12. Wesley So, trailing the leader by just a single point, had a good second day, beating Vidit and making draws with Nepomniachtchi and Caruana.

The current challenger Gukesh D picked up steam netting 5/6 on the second day of the competition. Alireza Firouzja turned in a solid performance winning one game and making two draws. The former leader Maxime Vachier-Lagrave slowed down a bit, scoring just 2/6. All three are tied for third place sitting on 7/12.

Round 4

The day started with a one-minute silence. The Grand Chess Tour commemorated the former world champion Magnus Carlsen’s mother who passed away at the age of 61.

It has been the most combative round so for with all the games ending decisively. Nepomniachtchi, Firouzja and Gukesh D scored their first victories in the event. Even more importantly the young Indian toppled the leader Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in a topsy-turvy game.

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave – Gukesh D

Maxime pressured his opponent most of the way, but after a series of mistakes he had to demonstrate accuracy with 43. Rf1! covering the critical f3-square. The Frenchman, however, played 43. Rh1?? and immediately resigned after 43… Qf3+ due to checkmate in four moves.

Round 5

Fabiano Caruana continued his impressive run and grabbed the lead after beating Ivan Saric. The home player maintained balance for awhile but eventually cracked under pressure.

Ivan Saric – Fabiano Caruana

32. g4? (32. h5 and 32. Rb1 were reasonable alternatives) 32… fxg4 33. Qxg4 Nc3 34. Nxc3? and after 34… bxc3 35. Qe2 Ra4 White’s position became hopeless. | 0-1, 38 moves.

All other games were drawn. Gukesh D had an overwhelming position against his countryman Vidit, but completely misplayed it and was losing.

Luckily for the current challenger, his opponent found the winning idea but chose a wrong move order and the game was drawn.

Round 6

Wesley So had a great chance to swap places with Fabiano Caruana but failed to convert his sizable endgame advantage.

Wesley So – Fabiano Caruana

After 82… Kg4 83. Kf2 Ra2+ 84. Kf1 Rb2 85. Bc7 Rb4 86. Be5 Rb3 Black would have been in full control. Wesley however removed the prop from under his knight with 82… g4? and Fabiano escaped with a draw.

Gukesh D scored his second win of the day after turning tables in a highly unpleasant position against Ian Nepomniachtchi.  

Photos: Lennart Ootes

Official website: grandchesstour.org/

Marking the midway point of the tour is the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia, which started on July 10. Following the same format as the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland, it offers the competitors a chance to display their skills under immense time pressure in a double round-robin tournament. Held in Zagreb, Croatia, the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz continues to be one of the major stops in the Grand Chess Tour.

The event features seven full-tour players and three wildcard players, Levon Aronian (USA), who replaced Magnus Carlsen (World #1 withdrew due to an urgent family matter), Vidit Gujrathi (India) and Ivan Saric (Croatia).

By the end of Day 1, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave seized the sole lead in the competition after defeating Levon Aronian and Ivan Saric, while drawing his third-round game with Wesley So.

Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So trail the French #2 by one point, sharing second place.

Firouzja, Anish Giri, and Nepomniachtchi all started the tournament with three draws.

Photos: Lennart Ootes

Official website: grandchesstour.org/

New York – June 17, 2024 – Chess enthusiasts should get ready for an unforgettable experience as the most intensive global chess event – FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships – are coming to the Big Apple in the last week of December for the first time in history! This globally renowned tournament celebrated as one of the most eagerly anticipated, most exciting and most followed in the chess world, promises a week-long extravaganza of unparalleled intensity

Featuring top players from across the globe, the event will provide five days of non-stop chess excitement and spectacular matchups. This prestigious tournament, renowned as the most globally followed chess event – along with the World Championship Match – last year had over 250 million views globally, with the expectation for the record to be broken this year.

The official announcement of the event was made at the closing ceremony of the World Corporate Chess Championship – Presented by Freedom Holding Corp., which took place in the business heart of New York from June 15 to 17.

The world’s best players, including great champions such as Magnus Carlsen, top U.S. grandmasters Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, as well as Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun and U.S. top woman player Irina Krush are expected to take part.

Photo: Lennart Ootes

Followed by millions of people worldwide, the World Rapid and Blitz are the most dynamic and most streamed chess events globally. The audience—whether online or in person—will have the chance to witness, up close, how risk analysis, tactics, and decision-making unfold at lightning speed.

“It has long been a dream of FIDE to have such a chess spectacle in New York. Not only will this championship be an absolutely top-notch sporting event, but also a great festival of mind, art, brilliance, and a celebration of the beauty of chess. We invite everyone interested in chess—no matter their level—to join us as we start the journey to make this event one of the most memorable chess events ever to take place in New York,” said Emil Sutovsky, CEO of FIDE.

The World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships is expected to be backed in part by Freedom Holding Corp., a multi-national diversified financial services company that has been working with FIDE to promote the game of chess on a global basis.

Photo: Rafał Oleksiewicz

“Chess is an integral part of the culture of our company, and we are looking forward to the prospect of supporting the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York City, home of the Nasdaq Stock Market, where Freedom Holding Corp. common shares have been traded for the past five years. Our experience with the World Corporate Chess Championship this past weekend has been excellent and we witnessed firsthand the immense potential and interest in chess from the world of U.S. finance and the general public. This furthered our interest in helping to bring the fast-paced game of speed chess to one of the most fast-paced cities in the world,” stated Timur Turlov, CEO of Freedom Holding Corp.

The venue for the event will be announced in the coming weeks. The World Rapid and Blitz will be open to the public and tickets will go on sale soon. Make sure you’re following us for updates so you don’t miss out on securing your spot!

About the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships

Established in 2012 as an official competition in the FIDE annual calendar, the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships have become a premier event in the chess world.

This year’s event coincides with two major chess celebrations—the centenary of the founding of FIDE and 100 years since the famous New York Chess Tournament, which saw the greatest names in chess of the time gather for a legendary tournament in chess and world history.

About FIDE

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) is the governing body of the sport of chess, and it regulates all international chess competitions. FIDE is constituted as a non-governmental institution, and it was recognized by the International Olympic Committee as a Global Sporting Organization in 1999.

FIDE currently has its headquarters in Lausanne (Switzerland), but it was initially founded in 1924 in Paris under the motto “Gens Una Sumus” (Latin for “We Are One Family”). It was one of the very first International Sports Federations, alongside the governing bodies of the sports of Football, Cricket, Swimming, and Auto Racing.

It is now one of the largest, encompassing more than 200 countries as affiliate members in the form of National Chess Federations. Chess is a truly global sport nowadays, with dozens of millions of players on all continents and tens of millions of chess games played every day.

To learn more about FIDE, visit fide.com

About Freedom Holding Corp.

Freedom Holding Corp., a Nevada corporation, is a diversified financial services holding company conducting retail securities brokerage, securities trading, investment research, investment counseling, investment banking and underwriting services, mortgages, insurance, and commercial banking, as well as several ancillary businesses which complement its core financial services businesses, all through its subsidiaries, operating under the name Freedom24 in Europe and Central Asia, and Freedom Capital Markets in the United States. Through its subsidiaries, Freedom Holding Corp. employs more than 6,000 people and is a professional participant in the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange, the Astana International Exchange, the Republican Stock Exchange of Tashkent, the Uzbek Republican Currency Exchange, and is a member of the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Exchange.

Freedom Holding Corp. is headquartered in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and has operations and subsidiaries in 20 countries, including Kazakhstan, the United States, Cyprus, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and others.

Freedom Holding Corp.’s common shares are registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and are traded under the symbol FRHC on the Nasdaq Capital Market, operated by Nasdaq, Inc.

To learn more about Freedom Holding Corp., visit freedomholdingcorp.com.

The chess world is abuzz with excitement as the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships 2024 are set to take place in the vibrant capital city of Kazakhstan from August 1 to 6, 2024. Following the success of the inaugural event in Düsseldorf, Germany, last year, this year’s championships promise to be even bigger and better with the addition of a Blitz competition.

This year’s championships will gather some of the world’s top chess professionals, including former World Champion Magnus Carlsen, who will lead WR Team in defending their title. Both current World Champions Ju Wenjun and Ding Liren will also be playing, and their participation underscores the event’s prestige and promises an exciting experience for both players and fans.

Photo: Niki Riga

Format

The 5 days of chess will feature two formats:

Rapid Tournament: A 12-round Swiss system with a time control of 15 minutes per game plus a 10-second increment per move.

Blitz Tournament: The Blitz tournament is divided into two stages. In Stage 1, teams are grouped into pools and play a round-robin format. The top 16 teams advance to Stage 2, which is a knockout stage. The time control is 3 minutes per game with a 2-second increment per move.

The total prize fund for the event is a staggering 350,000 euros, with 250,000 euros allocated for the Rapid Tournament and 100,000 euros for the Blitz Tournament. In addition to financial rewards, members of the top three teams in each category will receive medals.

Registration

Registration for the event is now open and will close on July 1, 2024, at 12 PM Lausanne time. Teams must comprise 6 to 9 players, including at least one female player and one recreational player (rated below 2000 Elo).

Don’t miss the chance to compete against the best – register your team now to secure a spot in this prestigious tournament.

To register, visit the official event website and complete the registration form. Remember, only 80 teams will be accepted, with priority given to the highest average ratings and earliest registrations.

Venue

Astana is ready to welcome the world’s best chess teams. With its modern infrastructure and rich cultural heritage, the city provides the perfect backdrop for this world-class event. Teams will enjoy the hospitality and vibrant atmosphere of Kazakhstan’s capital and will appreciate the state-of-the-art QazExpo Congress venue.

Accommodation Lottery

Special offers in the official hotels for the tournament are valid until June 1, 2024. The first 10 teams to book will participate in Accommodation Draw 1, with the winner receiving a full refund and free accommodation. The first 30 teams (excluding the winner of Draw 1) will enter Accommodation Draw 2, where two teams will receive a 50% refund.

For more information, visit the official website and follow our social media channels for the latest updates.

Don’t miss your chance to be part of chess history in Astana this August. Register now and let the games begin!

Registration link: worldrapidblitzteams.fide.com/registration

Official website: worldrapidblitzteams.fide.com/

Registration for media: worldrapidblitzteams.fide.com/mediaregistration

Magnus Carlsen emerged as the winner of the 2024 Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz. The World #1 became the leader of the Grand Chess Tour 2024 season and took home $40,000 first prize.

Day 5 of the competition saw the thrilling finale in the race between tournament leader Wei Yi and World #1 Magnus Carlsen. Going into the final day, Wei was leading the tournament 2.5 points ahead of Magnus. 

The Chinese GM started well, beating Gukesh D in Round 10 of the blitz. Carlsen kept pace, taking over Kirill Shevchenko with Black in a very complicated game in which the young Romanian player had a dangerous attack. 

Kirill Shevchenko – Magnus Carlsen

White has more than sufficient compensation for the sacrificed bishop. The best way to proceed suggested by the computer was 16. Rd2, gradually building up the pressure along the d-file. Kirill played seemingly logical 16. f4? opening the lines which turned out to be a serious mistake. After precise 16… Rb8! 17. Qh4 Qe3+ 18. Kb1 Qxf4 19. Qh6 Ng4 20. Nf5+ Qxf5 21. Qxf8+ Nxf8 Magnus repelled all the treats and emerged up a piece in an endgame. | 0-1, 23 moves.

Wei Yi was completely lost against Keymer in the next round but got a lucky break after the young German blundered a stalemate combination. 

Vincent Keymer – Wei Yi

After 70. Qf8+ Kh7 71. Qf5+ White forces a winning pawn endgame. Vincent, however, played the natural 70. c4?? completely missing 70…Qh2+! The queen is taboo because of the stalemate. Keymer tried 71. Kf1, but Black insisted on sacrificing the queen and after 71…Qg1+ 72. Ke2 Qe1+! a draw was agreed  ½: ½.

Carlsen, meanwhile, won a nice game against Praggnanandhaa, making good use of his two bishops and narrowing the gap with Wei Yi. 

In Round 12, the Chinese GM blundered a simple intermezzo against Jan-Krzysztof Duda, which cost him a minor piece and the game. Magnus, on the other hand, continued his winning streak, defeating Nodirbek Abdusattorov and shortening the distance to the leader. 

It set up a critical leaders’ clash in the next round. Magnus prevailed in a very long battle to catch up with Wei in the standings.

Wei Yi bounced back in Round 14, converting his extra exchange against Anish Giri, but it was not enough to pull away as Magnus won his game against Vincent Keymer. 

Vincent Keymer – Magnus Carlsen

Magnus has just played 57…Ke6? (the immediate 57…a2 was much better) offering White an excellent chance to escape for a draw with 58. h4! Vincent missed this opportunity and played 58. Ra6+ instead, but after 58…Kd5 59. Kg2 e6 Carlsen seamlessly converted his extra pawn. | 0-1, 82 moves

Wei got lucky in the next round winning the game against Arjun Erigaisi after the Indian went for a tempting but erroneous combination. 

Arjun Erigaisi – Wei Yi

In this position with an extra pawn, White miscalculated and sacrificed his queen with 32. Qxa8+?? However, after the precise 32… Rxa8 33. Rc8+ Rxc8 34. Rxc8+ Kh7 35. Ng5+ Kh6 36. f4 Nh7! 37. d5 Nxg5 38. fxg5+ Kxg5 Black emerged with a queen for a rook, forcing Erigaisi’s capitulation. | 0-1, 44 moves. 

Trying to keep pace with Wei, Magnus got lucky against Duda as the Polish GM missed a simple drawing continuation. 

Magnus Carlsen – Jan-Krzysztof Duda

After natural 58…Kxh5, capturing White’s last pawn, the position is equal. Jan-Krzysztof opted for 58…Kf5?? but after 59. Rf4+ Ke6 60. Rh4 Rg3  61. Kf4 Rg8 62. Rg4 Rf8+ 63. Ke4 Ra8 64. Rg6+ it was all over for Black. | 1-0, 66 moves

In Round 16, Wei Yi drew with Kirill Shevchenko, whereas Magnus pulled through and grabbed the lead for the first time after batting past Gukesh D in a crazy game. 

Gukesh D – Magnus Carlsen

After 16…Bf8? played by Magnus (much better was 16…Nc4), he ran into a fantastic shot spotted by Gukesh 17. Rxg6!! The point is that after 17…fxg6 18. Bxg6+ Ke7 19. f5! White’s attack is way too strong. Carlsen tried 17…Nc4?! and Gukesh could have simply captured on c4 with a superior position. Instead, he went for the tempting 18. Qg2? with the idea of 18…Nxe3 19. Rxe6+. 

However, Magnus found a brilliant resource 18…Ndxe5!! freeing the d7-square for his king and taking control of the game. After 17. Rg3 Nxd3+ 18. cxd3 Nxe3 19. Rxe3 Qxh4 20. Rf1 Bd6 Magnus gradually converted his extra pawn into a full point. | 0-1, 43 moves 

In the penultimate round, Wei Yi, who trailed Magnus by a half-point, played a crucial game against Praggnanandhaa. After the Indian blundered a piece, the Chinese GM got a winning position but cracked under pressure and not just let his advantage slip away but lost.

Magnus, meanwhile, drew with Giri and consolidated his lead, going into the final round a full point ahead of Wei. Facing Erigaisi in Round 18, the World #1 took a very solid approach and drew in the Four Knights Scotch to capture the title. Wei defeated Abdusattorov and finished a half point behind the winner. Third place goes to Jan-Krzysztof Duda, who had a great second day of blitz, winning three straight games at the end. 

Check out the Day 5 Recap Video by IM Kostya Kavutskiy

Up next is the Superbet Romania Chess Classic, starting June 25.

Photos: courtesy of Grand Chess Tour

Official website: grandchesstour.org/tours/2024/

Day 4 of the 2024 Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz saw the first day of blitz action, as the incoming leader Wei Yi continued his dominance in the event, scoring 7.5/9 to extend his lead over Magnus Carlsen and the rest of the field. Wei Yi sits at the top with 20.5 points, which includes five straight wins at the end. 

Magnus Carlsen had an up-and-down day but managed to finish it in the second position on 18 points, scoring 6/9. 

The rest of the field is fighting for third place, with Praggnanandhaa and Erigaisi sitting on 14.5 and 14 points, respectively. 

Wei Yi started the day with a loss but bounced back in Round 11, defeating Vincent Keymer. 

Wei Yi – Vincent Keymer

In this position the Chinese GM found very a strong sequence 17. Bxf6!  Qxf6 18. Ng4! and after 18…Qf4 19. Qxe8+ Rxe8 20. Rxe8+ Kh7 21. Nh2 Ne5 22. Ne2 Qf6 23. f4 his two rooks prevailed over Black’s queen | 1-0, 30 moves. 

Facing Magnus Carlsen in Round 4 of blitz Wei found himself in a precarious situation as the world #1 outplayed him in a sharp endgame with a pawn race. Unluckily for Magnus, playing on the increment he let the victory slip away. 

Wei Yi – Magnus Carlsen

Black has an extra rook but White’s passers are quite dangerous. The best way to stop them was 54…Rh8 (54…Re6 was also very strong) with the idea of 55. c7 f4 56. b5 Re3 57. c8Q Rxc8 58. Rxc8 f3, winning.

Instead Magnus played 54…Rb1? but after 55. c7 Rh8 56. b5 Rc8 57. Ka6 Ke5 58. b6 f4 59. b7 Rxc760. Rxc7 Rxb7 61. Rxb7 f3 62. Rxf7 Ke4 the opponents split the point | ½-½, 65 moves. 

After this lucky escape, Wei strung together five wins, although not without some luck (he lost against Giri but turned the tables and won). Praggnanandhaa tried to stop the leader in Round 11, essaying the double-edged King’s Indian, but Wei was up to the challenge.

Wei Yi – Praggnanandhaa R

20. g4! e4 21. Nxe4! White sacrificed a piece but quickly returned material with interest after  21… fxe4 22. Bxe4 Qf7 23. Ng5 Qf8 24. Nxh7 Qg8 25. gxh5 | 1-0, 30 moves

Magnus started the day with a victory over Kirill Shevchenko but then suffered two losses in Rounds 2 and 3. The second one, at the hands of Nodirbek Abdusattorov, was particularly disappointing as Magnus simply blundered a deadly pin in an overwhelming position. Carlsen roared back to finish the day with three straight wins. 

The final one was against Arjun Erigaisi, who made a crucial mistake in a long queen endgame. 

Arjun Erigaisi – Magnus Carlsen

White could have maintained the balance with a precise 88. Qg2! or 88. Qe4+ with the same idea. Instead, Arjun played 88. Qb1+, but after 88…Ka4! White ran out of checks. 89. Qc4 g2 90. Qd7+ Kh6 and Arjun resigned as the only check 91. Qd3+ is met with 91…Qb3. 

Check out the Day 4 Recap Video by IM Kostya Kavutskiy

Day 5 of the Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz continues Sunday, May 12th, with live commentary from GM Yasser Seirawan, IM Jovanka Houska, and IM Nazi Paikidze starting at 6:00 AM CDT. 

Photos: courtesy of Grand Chess Tour

Official website: grandchesstour.org/tours/2024/

Day 3 of Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz saw the conclusion of the rapid segment. Chinese #2 Wei Yi continued his fantastic run to grab the lead at the tournament’s halfway mark. Wei Yi netted 5/6 (rapid wins count as two points and a draw—one in this format) on the third day and came out on top with 13 points. The world #1 Magnus Carlsen netted 4/6, making two draws and scoring just a single win. He is trailing the leader by one point.  

Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa kept his third position after drawing all three games on Day 3. 

Going into the tournament’s next stage, the players will have two days of blitz in a double round-robin format (18 games in total).

Round 7

One of the most peaceful rounds in the competition saw four draws and just a single victory, which Wei Yi pulled off against Nodirbek Abdusattorov. 

The Chinese GM seized the initiative in a rare line of Vienna Hybrid early on and achieved a much better position with his dark-squared bishop dominating the opponent’s knight. Playing in the last seconds on the clock, Wei made a crucial mistake in a winning queen endgame, but Nodirbek immediately returned the favor.

Wei Yi – Nodirbek Abdusattorov

White just captured Black’s pawn with 49.gxh5? allowing 49…Qd5+ with some drawing chances. Abdusattorov, however, snatched a pawn with 49…Qxb4? but it failed to 50. Qg4+! After forced queen exchange Wei got a winning endgame as his a-pawn contains two black pawns on the queenside. 51…Qxg4 52. hxg4 Kf7 53. g5  1-0

After this victory Wei Yi became the sole leader for the first time. 

Round 8

Trying to catch up with the leader, Magnus Carlsen took a somewhat risky approach on the black side of the Anglo-Indian against Vincent Keymer and found himself in an inferior position. However, the world #1 gradually righted his ship and took full advantage of the opponent’s blunder in a roughly equal position. 

Vincent Keymer – Magnus Carlsen

White has just played 28. Qa4?? Magnus almost immediately spotted 28…Nf3+! and after 28… Nf3+ 29. Bxf3 Rxe2 30. Bxe2 Qxf2+ 31. Kh1 Qxe2 32. Qa7+ Kh6 33. Qd4 Qf3+ Vincent capitulated. 

However, Wei Yi chalked up his fifth straight win in the tournament to preserve the one-point margin over Magnus. Gukesh D sacrificed a pawn on the white side of the Sicilian and got sufficient compensation but soon made a committed a serious inaccuracy on move 13. Wei managed to consolidate his position, traded the queens and converted his extra pawn in an endgame. 

All other games in Round 8 were drawn.

Round 9 

Wei’s hot run ended in the day’s final round after Praggnanandhaa comfortably drew with him on the black side of the English Opening. 

Facing Anish Giri with white Magnus did not achieve much in the Giuoco Piano. Moreover, with his 17th move, he got into trouble, missing a nice tactic. 

Magnus Carlsen – Anish Giri

After spending some time Magnus played 17. Be3? but Anish correctly reacted with 17…Nxe4! winning a pawn after 18. Nxe4 Bf5 19. Nfd2 d5! Unfortunately for him, Giri did not demonstrate accuracy at the critical juncture of the game allowing Magnus to liquidate into a drawish endgame and save a point. 

Check out Day 3 Recap Video by IM Kostya Kavutskiy

Day 4 of the Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz continues Saturday, May 11th, with live commentary from GM Yasser Seirawan, IM Jovanka Houska, and IM Nazi Paikidze starting at 6:00 AM CDT.

Photos: courtesy of Grand Chess Tour

Official website: grandchesstour.org/tours/2024/