Indian GM R. Praggnanandhaa burst out of the gate on Day 1 of the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland (April 26–30) with a pair of convincing victories, but Day 2 saw his momentum stall under the intense competition. Held at Warsaw’s POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, the Grand Chess Tour opener began with three rounds of rapid chess (25+10 time control). Praggnanandhaa won his first two games of the day, yet later errors and fierce resistance led to tough losses on the second day. The dramatic swing highlights both his resilience and the fine margins of blitz and rapid play on the world stage.
Day 1: A Blazing Rapid Start
Praggnanandhaa opened the event in style. In round 1 he faced French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who employed the Closed Sicilian. Praggnanandhaa handled the closed, maneuvering with precision and tactical alertness, ultimately outplaying Vachier-Lagrave to score a win. Building on that confidence, he then toppled fellow Indian GM Aravindh Chithambaram in round 2, grinding out another victory and putting himself near the top of the standings. These back-to-back wins gave Praggnanandhaa an early lead. However, the Russian fourth-seed Bogdan-Daniel Deac took aim in round 3. In that game Praggnanandhaa made a few critical errors that swung the advantage away. Deac seized the chance and won the game, ending Praggnanandhaa’s perfect streak. Still, after three rounds the young grandmaster stood on 4 points and in a tie for second place, having demonstrated both sharp opening play and fighting spirit.
Day 2: Time Trouble and Tense Battles
The second day’s rapid rounds proved much tougher. Praggnanandhaa’s first game of Day 2 was against world No.2 Alireza Firouzja, and it started as a fierce duel. Early in the game, Praggnanandhaa blundered in a complicated position, handing the initiative to Firouzja. The loss of that game was a setback, and it highlighted how quickly fortunes can change at this fast pace. Not deterred, Praggnanandhaa moved into round 5 to face former world champion Levon Aronian. In a game against the battle-tested Aronian, Praggnanandhaa fought tenaciously. Both players fell into a time scramble – with only seconds on the clock apiece – but Praggnanandhaa managed to hold on. He found resourceful moves under pressure and eventually salvaged a hard-fought draw against Aronian, showing his fighting spirit even as the minutes ticked down.
In the final round of Day 2, he squared off with Veselin Topalov. The Bulgarian grandmaster pressed aggressively, and Praggnanandhaa once again faced severe time trouble. With little thinking time remaining, Praggnanandhaa missed a key defensive idea. Topalov punished the oversight, converting the advantage into a full point. The loss to Topalov sealed a difficult day for Praggnanandhaa: after Day 2 he had gained only a half-point from three rounds. His Day 1 lead evaporated as the results slipped away. In summary, Day 2 saw Praggnanandhaa’s initial momentum grind to a halt. Missed opportunities, a critical blunder, and relentless clock pressure turned victories into defeats in successive games.
Despite the swing of results, Praggnanandhaa’s resilience has been on display. He played each game to the end and kept competing under grueling time constraints. His ability to salvage a draw against Aronian under fierce time scramble speaks to his fighting spirit. These two days of competition at the Superbet Rapid & Blitz illustrate the intensity of the field and how every half-point is hard-earned. Praggnanandhaa now heads into the remaining rounds needing to regroup, tighten his time management, and rekindle the sharp form he showed on Day 1. The roller-coaster start underscores both the challenges facing the young grandmaster and his resolve to stay in contention in Warsaw.
