5 leaders, Gukesh in Hot Pursuit after day 1 of Super Rapid 2026 in Warsaw
A win in the rapid section is worth 2 points. Thanks to the scoring system and the fighting spirit shown by the players we saw a lot of decisive games on day 1 of the Super Rapid 2026. We have 5 players in the lead - Caruana, Wesley So, Hans Niemann, Vladimir Fedoseev and Javokhir Sindarov. The World Champion Gukesh had a pretty decent outing as he lost his game to Niemann, but beat Duda and drew against Alireza. He is one point behind the leaders. We bring you the action with deep annotations of the game. Photos: Lennart Ootes/ Grand Chess Tour
The Super Rapid and Blitz 2026 kicked off with 10 superstars facing off against each other. On day 1 of the Rapid event, there were three games. Let's have a look at what transpired.
Round 1 - Gukesh's missed opportunity
Gukesh played an incredible game against Alireza Firouzja. He found his way through the opening, then put pressure on his opponent in the middlegame, induced the error and got a winning position. The only issue was the level of resistance that Firouzja showed.
Alireza Firouzja vs D. Gukesh, Super Rapid 2026, Round 1
Gukesh took with the pawn and it turned out to be the error. The game is drawn after it. It was much better to take with the bishop. The b-pawn is farther away from the white king and after a pawn sacrifice f4, the Black king moves in via f5 and g4 and creates a h-passer. Very difficult to foresee all of this under time pressure. But once Gukesh took with the pawn, it was already drawn.
Duda vs Wojtaszek, Round 1
In this position Wojtaszek went in for the kill as he sacrificed the knight with Nexf2. White responded with Rxf2 and then Rxe3. The position was still dynamically balanced but within a couple of moves the game ended.
Caruana vs MVL, Round 1
It is time for LPDO - Loose Pieces Drop Off! Fabi played Rxg7!! and after Kxg7 he went Qg1+ and picked up the rook on d4 with a totally winning position.
Results Round 1
Round 2
Gukesh vs Hans Niemann, Round 2
Results Round 2
Round 3
Results Round 3
Standings after 3 Rounds
Round 4 Pairings
Opening Ceremony
Schedule: Rapid
Schedule: Blitz
Prize Fund
The total prize fund for each Rapid & Blitz event shall be Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000), which shall be distributed as follows:
Format and Time Control
Rapid: 10-player Round Robin, with 25 minutes + 10-second increment from move 1.
Blitz: 10-player Double Round Robin, with 5 minutes + 2-second increment from move 1.
Point System
2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss in a Rapid game
1 point for a win, ½ point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss in a Blitz game.
Line Up
Venue: Museum of the History of Polish Jews
The Museum of the History of Polish Jews, also known as POLIN Museum, is located in Warsaw, Poland. It stands on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto and serves as a cultural and educational center dedicated to preserving and showcasing the thousand-year history of Polish Jews. Opened in 2013, the museum offers a comprehensive journey through centuries of Jewish presence in Poland, highlighting their contributions to Polish society and the challenges they faced.
Important Links
Grand Chess Tour: Official Site, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube
Super Rapid & Blitz Poland: Details, Standings, Tickets
