Ten players are gathered in Zagreb, ranked by their rapid chess Elo ratings: Magnus Carlsen, Alireza Firouzja, Fabiano Caruana, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Wesley So, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, Anish Giri, Gukesh Dommaraju, and Ivan Saric. The top four players are among the world's top 10 rapid chess players.

Carlsen (right) faced Gukesh at the Grand Chess Tour rapid and blitz tournament in Croatia in 2023. Photo: GCT

Carlsen (right) faced Gukesh at the Grand Chess Tour rapid and blitz tournament in Croatia in 2023. Photo: GCT

The first day of competition begins at 8:10 PM Hanoi time on 2/7, with three rounds of rapid chess. In the first round, Carlsen, playing black, faces the lowest-rated player and home favorite, Saric. Gukesh, also playing black, faces a higher-rated rapid chess opponent, Duda.

The tournament takes place from 2/7 to 6/7 at the Westin Zagreb Hotel in Zagreb, Croatia, featuring 9 rounds of rapid chess and 18 rounds of blitz. Three rounds of rapid chess are played each day for the first three days. Each rapid win is worth two points, and a draw is worth one point. Blitz wins are worth one point, and draws are worth 0.5 points. The player with the highest total score wins the tournament and receives 40,000 USD. The total prize fund is 175,000 USD.

The matches between Carlsen and Gukesh are highly anticipated. The last time these two players met, Carlsen slammed the table in frustration after losing from a winning position in classical chess. However, in rapid and blitz chess, the world number one is considered the stronger player. He is currently ranked number one in both rapid and blitz. Gukesh's rankings are 42 and 92 respectively, lower than Vietnam's number one player, Le Quang Liem.

Carlsen and Gukesh have faced each other in 7 rapid and blitz games that count towards Elo ratings. The Norwegian player has won 5, drawn one, and lost only one.

The Grand Chess Tour is a series of elite over-the-board chess tournaments. This year, the tour consists of five tournaments and a final. Two tournaments have already taken place this year: a rapid and blitz tournament in Poland and a classical tournament in Romania. Vladimir Fedoseev and Praggnanandhaa won these tournaments respectively, as Carlsen did not participate in either. Gukesh competed in the classical tournament in Romania but finished second to last.

Xuan Binh