Gukesh, Erigaisi, Carlsen lead Rapid Championships

Reigning classical world champion D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and world number 1 Magnus Carlsen were among the leaders after the first five rounds on the opening day of the FIDE World Rapid Championships here on Thursday. The trio shared the top spot on 4.5 points alongside Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Vladislav Artemiev.

Carlsen was in great form on day one winning the four games easily but he was held to a draw in the fifth and final round by Erigaisi late on Friday as both ended up on 4.5 points. In the Queen’s Gambit Declined, the Norwegian and the young Indian GM went for a line which quickly transitioned into an equal queen and rook endgame.

Carlsen did push hard for victory but eventually reached a rook ending where he had had two extra “f” and “h” pawns. This theoretically drawn position requires precision from the weaker side which Erigaisi demonstrated, denying Carlsen the perfect score on the opening day.

After an unimpressive showing in the Global Chess League in Mumbai recently, Gukesh had a great run after starting with a draw in round one. He then went on to notch up four wins to join the leaders.

Defending World Rapid champion, 18-year-old Volodar Murzin of Russia had a tough opening day and finished on just two points. He suffered his first setback as early as round two at the hands of his compatriot Rudik Makarian.

He went on to lose two more games before making a comeback in round five. With 2/5, his chances of retaining the crown won in New York in 2024 appear slim. Another slow starter was R Praggnanandhaa. The young GM, who recently secured a place in next year’s Candidates tournament, won his first-round game, but then made two draws.

In round four, he suffered a loss as Black to more than 150 points lower-rated Levan Pantsulaia, ending the day on a disappointing note. Vasyl Ivanchuk, who won the World Rapid in Doha in 2016, is also on three points, drawing four games after his first-round victory.

In the women’s rapid section, Zhu Jiner holds the sole lead after winning all four of her games on Friday. The Chinese GM dominated from the outset, securing strong positions in every encounter, including against seasoned opponents such as Armenian Grandmaster Elina Danielian and Georgia’s Nana Dzagnidze. In Round 5, she will face Aleksandra Goryachkina, the former Women’s World Championship challenger.

As many as seven players are trailing Zhu by half a point. Leading the chase is Nino Batsiashvili. Joining her are two former Women’s World Champions Mariya Muzychuk and Antoaneta Stefanova, former women’s challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina, India’s D. Harika Dronavalli, Song Yuxin (who stunned the field with her run at the Women’s Grand Swiss in Samarkand) and Sara Khadem.

Former Women’s world champion Tan Zhongyi of China suffered a late disappointment after being in a winning position. In round three, she had a wining position against Women’s Grand Swiss champion R. Vaishali, the elder sister of Praggnanandhaa. However, in time trouble, Tan blundered, overlooking a back-rank checkmate -- a rare oversight at this level. Defending Women’s RapidcChampion Koneru Humpy also sits on three points, with two wins and two draws.

Meanwhile, Women’s World champion in classical chess, Ju Wenjun, ended the day on 3 points as well. D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, Magnus Carlsen lead FIDE World Rapid Championships.