Four co-leaders
The SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia tournament got underway in Zagreb with three rounds of rapid chess (25+10) played on the opening day. The event marks the third stop of this year’s Grand Chess Tour, following tournaments in Warsaw and Bucharest. Zagreb is hosting for the sixth time in the ten-year history of the GCT.
The tournament features a strong ten-player field, including seven members of the current world top ten. Points from the rapid games count double, with the blitz section (to be played later under a 5+2 time control) to follow over two days.
In this video course, experts including Dorian Rogozenco, Mihail Marin, Karsten Müller and Oliver Reeh, examine the games of Boris Spassky. Let them show you which openings Spassky chose to play, where his strength in middlegames were and much more.Magnus Carlsen, who is not a regular participant in this year’s Tour, leads the field in Zagreb as a wildcard entrant. A three-time winner of this event (2019, 2022 and 2023), the former world champion began his campaign with two draws and a win. His performance was solid if not flawless: in round one, Carlsen drew against Jan-Krzysztof Duda but came close to losing after over-pressing in a queen endgame that should have ended peacefully. In round two, however, he demonstrated his renowned endgame prowess, converting a seemingly equal minor piece ending into a full point against Wesley So. A draw in round three completed a day that left Carlsen well-placed on 4 points (1 win, 2 draws).
Magnus Carlsen | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Wesley So also collected 4 points on day one. He opened with a win over Fabiano Caruana and closed the day with a victory against Anish Giri, bouncing back quickly from his loss to Carlsen in the second round. So’s performance leaves him sharing the early lead with Carlsen.
Gukesh Dommaraju, the reigning world champion, also ended the day on 4 points. Despite a loss to Duda in the first round, Gukesh recovered impressively with back-to-back wins against Alireza Firouzja and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. Carlsen had remarked before the tournament that Gukesh was not yet at world-champion level in faster time controls, but the 18-year-old’s results on the opening day challenge that assessment.
Spectator interest in Zagreb remains high, and the event continues to offer an excellent mix of elite competition and local engagement.
Co-leader Gukesh Dommaraju | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Duda ½-½ Carlsen
Analysis by André Schulz
Most players prefer to attack rather than defend. But what is the correct way to do it? GM Dr Karsten Müller has compiled many rules and motifs to guide you, along with sharpening your intuition for the exceptions.
Jan-Krzysztof Duda
Standings after round 3
All games
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