Indian chess prodigy D Gukesh Dommaraju, the reigning world rapid and blitz champion, delivered a remarkable performance at the 2025 Grand Chess Tour SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz tournament held in Zagreb, Croatia. Gukesh secured the sole lead after winning five consecutive games, including a notable victory against World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in Round 6 with the black pieces. Despite a strong start and dominating the rapid segment with 14 points out of 18, Gukesh faced challenges during the blitz portion, suffering multiple losses and ultimately finishing third overall with 19.5 points. Magnus Carlsen, the World No. 1 and five-time World Champion, recovered from his defeat to Gukesh by scoring 7.5 out of 9 points in the first day of blitz and maintained his lead to clinch the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz title with a round to spare, finishing with 22.5 points. Wesley So secured second place with 20 points. Meanwhile, R Praggnanandhaa, another prominent Indian grandmaster and India’s highest-ranked player at World No. 4 with a rating of 2779, also participated in the event. The tournament highlighted the rising prominence of Indian chess, with 12 Indian players ranked in the world’s top 100. The event also featured top players like Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Anish Giri, Fabiano Caruana, and Alireza Firouzja. Gukesh’s victories over Carlsen, including the rapid game where he created complex positions to outplay the Norwegian, drew attention from chess legends such as Garry Kasparov, who questioned Carlsen’s continued dominance. The tournament underscored Magnus Carlsen’s continued excellence in rapid and blitz formats, marking his 10th win out of 12 Grand Chess Tour rapid and blitz events played, while also spotlighting the emergence of India’s young talents on the global chess stage.