World Champion Gukesh Wins Rapid Chess Title in Zagreb

The current world chess champion D Gukesh has won the rapid title at the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz 2025 tournament in Zagreb, Croatia on 4th July, 2025. He was able to score 14 points out of 18 total and now leads the Grand Chess Tour event. With his performance, he is leading top players like Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Magnus Carlsen.

A Brilliant Performance By Gukesh

The world chess champion D Gukesh exhibited great form over the rapid section of the tournament that last for three days. He played particularly well on day two winning 5 games in succession. On the final day of play, he had two draws against Anish Giri (Netherlands) and Ivan Saric (Croatia) before ending the day with a win against Wesley So from the USA. This final win helped him wrap up the competition and finish first with the 14 points.

Key Players and Final Standings

Jan-Krzysztof Duda, who was able to beat Gukesh in the first round, finished second, with 11 points. Magnus Carlsen, the world number one player from Norway finished third with 10 points. He started off well beating Fabiano Caruana, but was unable to seal stronger finish due a draw Nodirbek Abdusattorov.

R Praggnanandhaa also performed admirably for India, beating Ivan Saric in round 7, before drawing with Wesley So and Duda in the final two rounds. He completed the tournament with 9 points, finishing alongside Caruana. Other players who had strong tournament finishes included Firouzja, Giri, and So, all with 8 points.