R Praggnanandhaa Shines in Croatia, Ties for First in Grand Chess Tour

In an exhilarating finish at the Grand Chess Tour in Croatia, Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa secured a tie for first place alongside Firouzja Alireza. After a challenging second day, Praggnanandhaa rallied back with three consecutive victories, showcasing his exceptional skills against top competitors. Meanwhile, D Gukesh faced a contrasting day, drawing all his matches. As the tournament progresses into the blitz section, the competition remains fierce. Read on to find out more about the thrilling matches and standings.

By Narendra Chaudhary Jul 4, 2026, 13:25 IST

Final Day Triumph for Indian Grandmaster

Zagreb: Indian chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa showcased an impressive performance by winning three consecutive matches on the final day, ultimately tying for first place with France's Firouzja Alireza, both finishing with 12 points in the rapid section of the Grand Chess Tour's Croatian leg.

After a slow start on the second day, Praggnanandhaa turned up the heat in the last three rounds, defeating Croatia's Ivan Saric, Romania's Deac Bogdan-Daniel, and Anish Giri from the Netherlands, allowing him to catch up with Alireza.

French player Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov closely followed the leaders, each securing 11 points, while India's world champion D Gukesh and Germany's Vincent Keymer trailed with 10 points each.

As the blitz section awaits with 18 rounds remaining, Giri currently holds eight points, leading Deac and Jorden van Foreest from the Netherlands by one point, while Saric finds himself at the bottom with just two points.

Praggnanandhaa's momentum began against Saric, who struggled throughout the event. Utilizing the Caro Kann defense, the Indian player established a strong position early on, maintaining control despite a lengthy conversion process.

In his second match, Praggnanandhaa broke through Deac's defenses from a Petroff defense, and by the 15th move, it was clear the Romanian was in trouble, losing a piece and failing to recover.

In his final game of the day, Praggnanandhaa faced the usually reliable Anish Giri, winning a pawn from a Catalan opening and executing a swift victory with precise tactical moves, concluding the game in just 34 moves.

In contrast, Gukesh's day was less favorable, as the youngest world champion could only manage draws in all three of his matches, falling behind as Abdusattorov, Keymer, and Alireza shared points with him.

Standings after Round 9 Rapid: 1-2 Firouzja Alireza (Fra), R Praggnanandhaa (Ind) 12 each; 3-4 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra), Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb) 11 each; 5-6 D Gukesh (Ind), Vincent Keymer (Ger) 10 each; 7 Anish Giri (Ned) 8; 8-9 Deac Bogdan-Daniel (Rou), Jorden van Foreest (Ned) 7 each; 10 Ivan Saric (Cro) 2.