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Day 1 of SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia 2025
The day 1 of 2025 SuperUnited Croatia Rapid & Blitz started with an exciting day of action. After six intense rounds, four players are tied for the lead: Magnus Carlsen, Dommaraju Gukesh, Wesley So, and Jan-Krzysztof Duda, each scoring 4 points out of 6.
World Champion Gukesh lost his first game to Duda but bounced back strongly. He defeated Alireza Firouzja and R Praggnanandhaa in back-to-back rounds.
Carlsen drew two games and scored a grinding win against Wesley So, showing his classic style.
Tough Competition at the Top
Carlsen described the field as “not many players you can feast on!”. This event is part of the 2025 Grand Chess Tour, the third in the series. Unlike the previous blitz event in Poland, this tournament has seven tour regulars, including Gukesh, Firouzja, and Praggnanandhaa.
The wildcards are just as strong:
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Magnus Carlsen (World No. 1)
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Anish Giri (World No. 10)
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Ivan Saric (Croatian No. 1)
Saric impressed with three draws on Day 1, while Giri narrowly missed leading the tournament.
Carlsen’s Dominance Continues
Carlsen has won 9 out of 11 Grand Chess Tour rapid & blitz events he’s played. He won five in a row before this one and had a perfect 9/9 blitz day in 2023.
However, he admitted feeling “rusty” after returning from his honeymoon. Still, he played creatively and beat So with a well-planned bishop-pair strategy, calling his move 22.Qd3 a highlight.
Drama Between Gukesh & Carlsen
All eyes are on Carlsen vs Gukesh. Their last meeting ended with Gukesh winning and Carlsen slamming the table in frustration. This sparked jokes from Garry Kasparov, who said the hotel tables should be reinforced!
Carlsen downplayed Gukesh’s blitz skills, saying:
“In faster formats, Gukesh hasn’t proven himself yet. I’ll treat him like a weaker opponent.”
But Gukesh made a bold statement with two wins after his early loss.
Gukesh’s Bounce Back
After losing to Duda, Gukesh stayed calm. He said, “Duda got an advantage from the opening and played very well.” Against Firouzja, Gukesh trapped the queen with 34.Bf1!, taking full control.
Then, against Praggnanandhaa, he used the clever move 17…e5! to gain the edge.
Wesley So’s Mixed Day
So started well with wins over Caruana and Giri, but the loss to Carlsen hurt. He admitted, “At some point, you just have to start playing good moves!”
Duda Misses Sole Lead
In his final game, Duda had a winning position against Carlsen.
But he settled for a draw by repetition, leading to a four-way tie instead of taking the sole lead.
Standings After Day 1
The tournament continues with six more rapid rounds followed by 18 blitz games.
It runs from July 2-6 at the Westin Hotel in Zagreb, Croatia.
Time control:
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Rapid: 25 minutes + 10-second increment
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Blitz: 5 minutes + 2-second increment
How to Watch
Catch the live action on the Saint Louis Chess Club YouTube channel.
Commentary is provided by chess legends including GM Yasser Seirawan, IM Nazi Paikidze, and others from St. Louis and Zagreb.
Photos: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour
Source: CHESS.com
