World champion Gukesh Dommaraju started the FIDE World Rapid Championship in Doha with a hard-fought draw against Canada’s Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux. He quickly turned his fortunes around, winning his next four matches to join a five-player lead at the end of Day 1, accumulating 4.5 points out of a possible 5. Alongside Gukesh in the lead are Arjun Erigaisi, Magnus Carlsen, French player Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and Russia’s Vladislav Artemiev.
Just behind this leading group is a cohort of 15 players, each with four points, including India’s Sandip Chanda, Nihal Sarin, and International Master Goutham Krishna H. They are joined by notable competitors such as Hans Moke Niemann, Anish Giri, and FIDE World Cup winner Javokhir Sindarov.
The outcomes from Friday’s games in Doha reaffirm the notion that Gukesh, the teenage prodigy from Chennai, has significantly enhanced his performance in rapid chess. Traditionally, classical chess has been his strong suit, a format in which he became the youngest world champion last year. However, since earning that title, Gukesh has diversified his focus by competing in different formats.
Earlier this year, during the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz event in Croatia, Gukesh finished the rapid segment at the top of the standings with 14 points out of 18, three points ahead of Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Unfortunately, he lost his lead in the blitz segment, where Carlsen secured the overall title.
On Day 1 of the FIDE World Rapid Championship, Gukesh’s initial draw was a test of resilience, but he subsequently showcased his prowess by defeating Sergey Drygalov, Nikita Petrov, Alan Pichot, and Sina Movahed to earn a spot at the front of the standings. The tournament will continue with four additional rounds of rapid chess on Saturday and Sunday.
Original Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/chess/gukesh-lead-magnus-carlsen-arjun-erigaisi-world-rapid-championship-10440827/
Category: Chess,Sports
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Publish Date: 2025-12-27 01:48:00
