Carlsen defeats Gukesh, reclaims Grand Chess Tour lead

Top seed Magnus Carlsen scored 7.5 out of a possible 9 points in the first day of blitz chess, including a victory against chess prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju.

Gukesh began the day, 5/7, with five consecutive losses to Wesley So, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Jan Krzysztof Duda, Carlsen, and Ivan Saric. This contrasted sharply with his five-game winning streak in rapid chess.

In the remaining four blitz games, the 19-year-old defeated Fabiano Caruana, drew with Anish Giri, and lost to Alireza Firouzja and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. He earned only 1.5 points in the first day of blitz chess, dropping from first to third place, behind both Carlsen and Duda.

Carlsen during his victory against Gukesh in round four of the blitz chess at the Grand Chess Tour in the Westin Zagreb Hotel, Zagreb, Croatia on 5/7/2025. Photo: GCT/Lennart Ootes

Carlsen's victory over Gukesh in the fourth round of blitz chess was decided in the middlegame, when the Norwegian player maneuvered his knight to capture his opponent's weak pawn. Gukesh's bishop proved ineffective in a similar tactic. "That was a bad game," the top seed said after defeating Gukesh. "I just played like an old man, without calculating any tactics. Just relying on experience. But the result was favorable, so I can't complain."

The 34-year-old played impressively, with six wins and three draws in the first day of blitz chess. His defeated opponents included Firouzja, Caruana, Gukesh, Abdusattorov, Praggnanandhaa, and Saric.

From third place, Carlsen moved into the lead after just one day. He currently has 17.5 points, 1.5 points ahead of second-place Duda. Gukesh is two points behind Carlsen, with his chances of winning the championship significantly diminished.

The final day of competition begins today, 6/7, with the remaining nine rounds of blitz chess. Carlsen is not only aiming for the championship but also seeking to regain his 2,900 Elo rating in blitz chess. Meanwhile, Gukesh has dropped out of the world's top 100 blitz players.

The Grand Chess Tour 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 chess. The first three days each consist of three rounds of rapid chess. Each rapid chess win is worth two points, and a draw is worth one point. In blitz chess, a win earns one point, and a draw earns 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.