Indian chess prodigy D. Gukesh secured the rapid title at the Grand Chess Tour 2025 Rapid & Blitz tournament in Zagreb, Croatia on Friday, July 4, 2025. The 19-year-old reigning World Champion demonstrated remarkable resilience by bouncing back from an initial loss to clinch five consecutive victories, including a notable win against Magnus Carlsen, ultimately accumulating 14 points to claim the top position. Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda finished in second place with 11 points, while former world champion Magnus Carlsen secured third position with 10 points. The tournament witnessed another Indian participant, R. Praggnanandhaa, who shared fourth place with Fabiano Caruana, both scoring nine points. Gukesh’s path to victory included strategic draws in the seventh and eighth rounds against Anish Giri and Ivan Saric respectively. He sealed his triumph with a victory over Wesley So in the final round of the rapid section.Quiz: Who’s that IPL player? The Zagreb tournament represents the third event in the Grand Chess Tour 2025 calendar, following the completion of tournaments in Poland and Romania during April and May. The competition structure continues with the blitz section scheduled for July 5 and 6, where players will compete for the overall title based on combined points from both rapid and blitz sections.
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R. Praggnanandhaa has already established his presence in the Grand Chess Tour 2025 circuit with a victory in Bucharest, Romania, and a third-place finish in Warsaw, Poland. These performances highlight the strong representation of Indian chess players in international competitions. The Grand Chess Tour 2025 calendar includes two upcoming tournaments in the United States scheduled for August. The final tournament of the series will take place in Brazil from September to October, featuring an expanded format that encompasses classic, rapid, and blitz sections.
