D. Gukesh received the speedy title on the Grand Chess Tour 2025 Zagreb occasion with 14 factors. After an early loss, he secured 5 consecutive wins, together with one over Magnus Carlsen, and capped his run with a final-round victory over Wesley So.
India’s D. Gukesh clinched the speedy title on the Grand Chess Tour (GCT) 2025 Speedy & Blitz occasion in Zagreb, Croatia, on Friday, marking one other main milestone in his rising profession. The 19-year-old World Champion completed with 14 factors to high the leaderboard, forward of Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Norwegian Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen.
After struggling a setback within the opening spherical, Gukesh bounced again impressively with 5 straight victories, together with a vital win over Carlsen. He then drew back-to-back video games towards Anish Giri and Ivan Saric within the seventh and eighth rounds, earlier than ending the speedy phase on a excessive word by defeating Wesley So within the closing spherical.
Notably, on Day 3, Gukesh drew with Anish Giri and Ivan Saric. Alternatively, Carlsen beat Caruana however drew with Nodirbek Abdusattorov, ending his title hopes. Duda, the one participant to beat Gukesh, completed second with constant performances all through.
He completed the Grand Chess Tour 2025 in Zagreb with 11 factors, whereas Magnus Carlsen, who had a robust begin to the match, completed third with 10 factors. Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa ended the phase with 9 factors, tying for fourth place with American Fabiano Caruana.
When will blitz part be performed?
The blitz portion of the occasion is scheduled for the weekend, with rounds set to happen on July 5 and 6. Last standings and the general champion of the Zagreb leg shall be determined based mostly on the mixed outcomes from each the speedy and blitz codecs.
In the meantime, Zagreb marks the third cease on this 12 months’s Grand Chess Tour. Earlier legs have been held in Poland and Romania, the place Praggnanandhaa emerged victorious in Bucharest and positioned third in Warsaw.
The tour will transfer to america in August for its subsequent two occasions earlier than concluding in Brazil between September and October. The ultimate leg will function an entire lineup of classical, speedy, and blitz video games.