Chess
Grand Chess Tour: Magnus Carlsen clinches SuperUnited title; Gukesh finishes third
Magnus Carlsen won the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia 2025 with a round to spare.
Magnus Carlsen captured his record seventh title at the prestigious Norway Chess tournament. (Photo credit: Norway Chess)
World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen reaffirmed his supremacy in the faster formats of chess, winning the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia 2025 with a round to spare. The Norwegian finished with 22.5 points, securing the title ahead of Wesley So (20 points) and D Gukesh, who took third place with a total of 19.5 points.
The event was part of the prestigious Grand Chess Tour and featured a strong field of elite players. While Carlsen’s performance in the blitz section sealed the deal, it was Gukesh’s impressive showing in the rapid rounds that initially captured attention.
The reigning world champion from India, D Gukesh, began the tournament on a high note. In the nine-round rapid segment, he tallied a formidable 14 points, taking an early lead and putting pressure on the rest of the field.
However, the blitz section proved challenging. Gukesh managed only 1.5 points in the first nine blitz games, struggling to find rhythm in the high-speed format. Despite a recovery in the return leg of blitz, it wasn’t enough to catch up with Carlsen’s consistency. He finished half a point ahead of Alireza Firouzja (France) and Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland), who both scored 19.
Carlsen, who had trailed Gukesh by four points after the rapid segment, made a powerful comeback. He scored 7.5/9 in the first half of the blitz and added 4/8 in the second half, securing the title before the final round. The win further cements his legacy as one of the most dominant players in rapid and blitz formats.
Out of the $175,000 prize pool, Carlsen earned $40,000, Wesley So took home $30,000, while Gukesh won $25,000 for his third-place finish. His performance, particularly in rapid, silenced critics and added another strong result to his growing résumé.
India’s R Praggnanandhaa, despite a successful classical season earlier in the year, had a quiet tournament in Zagreb. He finished ninth with 15 points, ahead of only Ivan Šarić of Croatia (13 points).
In the final round, Gukesh had a chance to finish stronger but couldn’t convert a pawn advantage against Praggnanandhaa. The game ended in a theoretical draw. Still, for the youngest world champion in history, this event marks an encouraging step in the faster formats of the game.
