Zagreb: India’s D. Gukesh clinched the rapid title at the Grand Chess Tour (GCT) 2025 Rapid & Blitz event in Zagreb, Croatia, on Friday, marking another major milestone in his rising career. The 19-year-old World Champion finished with 14 points to top the leaderboard, ahead of Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Norwegian Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen.
After suffering a setback in the opening round, Gukesh bounced back impressively with five straight victories, including a crucial win over Carlsen. He then drew back-to-back games against Anish Giri and Ivan Saric in the seventh and eighth rounds, before ending the rapid segment on a high note by defeating Wesley So in the final round.
Notably, on Day 3, Gukesh drew with Anish Giri and Ivan Saric. On the other hand, Carlsen beat Caruana but drew with Nodirbek Abdusattorov, ending his title hopes. Duda, the only player to beat Gukesh, finished second with consistent performances throughout.
He finished the Grand Chess Tour 2025 in Zagreb with 11 points, while Magnus Carlsen, who had a strong start to the tournament, finished third with 10 points. Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa ended the segment with nine points, tying for fourth place with American Fabiano Caruana.
The blitz portion of the event is scheduled for the weekend, with rounds set to take place on July 5 and 6. Final standings and the overall champion of the Zagreb leg will be decided based on the combined results from both the rapid and blitz formats.
Meanwhile, Zagreb marks the third stop on this year’s Grand Chess Tour. Previous legs were held in Poland and Romania, where Praggnanandhaa emerged victorious in Bucharest and placed third in Warsaw.
The tour will move to the United States in August for its next two events before concluding in Brazil between September and October. The final leg will feature a complete lineup of classical, rapid, and blitz games.
