After a dominant showing in the rapid format, World Champion D Gukesh faced a dramatic decline in performance during the blitz rounds of the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Chess Tournament, finishing day three two points behind Magnus Carlsen.
The Indian star, who had led the standings with a comfortable margin, stumbled with five straight losses at the start of the blitz section. Though he managed a draw and one win later, Gukesh ultimately fell to fellow Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, finishing the day with 15.5 points.
In contrast, Magnus Carlsen staged an impressive comeback, scoring 7.5 out of a possible 9 points on the day. This puts the Norwegian legend at the top of the leaderboard with 17.5 points from 27 games, ahead of Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda (16 points) and Gukesh (15.5 points).
Despite his earlier brilliance in the rapid segment — which included a notable win over Carlsen — Gukesh looked out of rhythm in the blitz format. Carlsen, who had previously questioned Gukesh’s adaptability in different formats, may feel vindicated for now, but nine blitz games still remain.
The final day will determine who takes the crown, but Carlsen stands as the clear favorite. Gukesh, on the other hand, will need to rediscover his rapid form if he hopes to finish on a high note.
Standings after Blitz Round 9:
- Magnus Carlsen (17.5)
- Jan-Krzysztof Duda (16)
- D Gukesh (15.5)
- Wesley So (14.5)
- R Praggnanandhaa (13.5)
6-7. Alireza Firouzja, Fabiano Caruana (13)
8-9. Anish Giri, Nodirbek Abdusattorov (11) - Ivan Saric (10)
