The Grand Chess Tour event held in Zagreb last week featured a 10-player super rapidplay and blitz tournament, spanning five days and culminating in a closely contested finish. The competition combined three days of rapidplay games, where each victory counted double, followed by two days of double round blitz matches. The tournament concluded on Sunday with Alireza Firouzja winning after a tiebreak against Nodirbek Abdusattorov.

Firouzja started strongly, leading the rapidplay segment with a score of 5 out of 6 (10 out of 12 under the tournament’s scoring system) after the first two days. However, on the final day of rapidplay, he recorded two draws and a loss to Abdusattorov, ending the stage tied for first place with Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and just ahead of Abdusattorov and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Known for his blitz expertise, Firouzja dominated the first day of blitz on Saturday, achieving an impressive 8 out of 9 score. Yet, his performance dipped on the second day, where he scored only 3.5 out of 9, bringing him level with Abdusattorov and setting the stage for their playoff.

In regulation play combining both rapid and blitz scores, Firouzja and Abdusattorov each finished with 23.5 points out of a possible 26. Vachier-Lagrave and Praggnanandhaa followed with 21.5 points. Other participants included Vincent Keymer with 20 points, reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju with 18.5, Anish Giri with 17, Bogdan-Daniel Deac at 15, Jorden van Foreest 12.5, and Ivan Šarić at the bottom on 7 points.

Firouzja ultimately prevailed in a playoff which consisted of two initial five-minute games, both drawn, before the Armageddon decider where Firouzja, playing Black, held on to secure the championship.

Among the notable games was the encounter between Vincent Keymer and Alireza Firouzja in the rapidplay phase. The game opened with a Reti system leading into a variation of the Catalan. Keymer, playing White, adopted an aggressive approach early on, but Firouzja demonstrated deep tactical awareness and resourcefulness under pressure. Despite Keymer’s initial advantage and aggressive plays, Firouzja seized opportunities to counterattack, culminating in a critical sequence where Keymer’s queen became vulnerable. The culmination saw Keymer forced to resign after Firouzja’s precise tactics and material gain became overwhelming.

Keymer’s struggle in the rapidplay reflected his overall challenging start to the tournament, which impacted his final standing despite solid efforts. Firouzja’s ability to sustain pressure in both rapid and blitz formats reinforced his status as one of the leading figures in contemporary chess.