Zagreb: Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa endured a disappointing start to the blitz section of the Croatian leg of the Grand Chess Tourscoring just 3.5 points from the opening nine rounds. France’s Alireza Firouzja delivered a commanding performance to emerge as the sole leader with one day of competition remaining.
Firouzja opens commanding lead
Firouzja dominated the blitz format, scoring eight points out of a possible nine to move to 20 points overall.
His remarkable performance gave him a three-point lead over joint second-placed Nodirbek Abdusattarov of Uzbekistan and fellow French Grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagravewho are tied on 17 points.
The French star’s display has been described as one of the most dominant performances in the history of the Grand Chess Tour.
Praggnanandhaa loses ground
After sharing the lead with Firouzja at the end of the rapid section, Praggnanandhaa slipped to fourth place with 15.5 points.
The Indian Grandmaster began the blitz competition with a victory over Vincent Keymer of Germany before drawing against Anish Giri of the Netherlands.
However, four consecutive defeats severely dented his campaign, leaving him with just 3.5 points from the opening nine blitz rounds.
Despite the setback, Praggnanandhaa remains in contention for a podium finish if he produces a strong performance on the final day.
Gukesh also struggles
Reigning world champion D Gukesh also endured an inconsistent day, finishing with 14 points overall to occupy fifth place in the standings.
Gukesh managed a slightly better score than Praggnanandhaa during the blitz session but suffered four defeats, preventing him from closing the gap on the leaders.
Final day to decide remaining podium places
Germany’s Vincent Keymer is placed sixth on 13 pointsfollowed by Anish Giri on 12.5 points.
Romania’s Bogdan-Daniel Deac is eighth with 11.5 pointswhile Jorden van Foreest of the Netherlands has 9.5 points. Croatia’s Ivan Saric remains at the bottom of the standings with 5 points.
With nine blitz rounds still to be played on the final day of the USD 2,00,000 tournament, Firouzja appears well placed to secure the title.
The battle for the remaining podium positions, however, remains open, with Praggnanandhaa hoping to rediscover his form and finish among the top three.
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