Super Rapid & Blitz Poland: So and Niemann share the lead, Sindarov struggles

Gukesh beats Sindarov in first matchup since Candidates

Tense, fighting chess continued to be the norm on day two of the rapid section at the Super Rapid & Blitz tournament in Warsaw. With six of the nine rapid rounds completed, US representatives Wesley So and Hans Niemann are tied for first place on 9/12 points. Wins are worth 2 points in the rapid section, and the two co-leaders now stand on plus-three scores.

So and Niemann had entered the day as part of the large five-player leading group that formed after Tuesday’s opening three rounds. Both maintained their place at the top by scoring two wins and a draw, separating themselves from most of the field. Their results left them as the only players to reach 9/12, with three rapid rounds still to be played before the tournament moves on to the blitz section.

A selfie with co-leader Hans Niemann | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Defending champion Vladimir Fedoseev stands in sole third place, 1 point behind the leaders. Fedoseev, who was also among the co-leaders after day one, collected a win and two draws on Wednesday. His 8/12 score leaves him within immediate striking distance of So and Niemann, while also giving him a 2-point cushion over the next group.

Three players are tied on fifty-percent scores: world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, local hero Jan-Krzysztof Duda and US star Fabiano Caruana. For Gukesh, it was a particularly notable day, as he defeated Javokhir Sindarov with the black pieces in their round-five encounter. The result carried added weight given that Gukesh and Sindarov are set to face each other at the end of the year in a match for the World Championship title.

Gukesh’s reaction after the win also stood out. The reigning world champion, who is usually known for keeping his emotions to himself, showed clear satisfaction by pumping his fist after beating Sindarov.

Sindarov, by contrast, had a difficult second day. The Uzbek grandmaster played riskily – and rather imprecisely – throughout the day, losing all three of his games after having begun the round as part of the shared lead. He now stands on 4/12, tied for eighth place with Alireza Firouzja, and will need a strong finish in the rapid to recover ground before the blitz games begin on Friday.

In this Fritztrainer: “Attack like a Super GM” with Gukesh we touch upon all aspects of his play, with special emphasis on how you can become a better attacking player.

Visibly happy – reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Sindarov 0-1 Gukesh

In this video course, experts (Pelletier, Marin, Müller and Reeh) examine the games of Judit Polgar. Let them show you which openings Polgar chose to play, where her strength in middlegames were, or how she outplayed her opponents in the endgame.

The much-anticipated clash between the two players who will fight for the World Championship title later in the year | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Firouzja 0-1 So

Wesley So published two new opening DVDs: 1.b3, the so called Nimzo-Larsen-Attack, for White and his black secrets in the modern Italian. Get them in a package and save money!

Alireza Firouzja facing Wesley So | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Standings after round 6 (win = 2 pts, draw = 1pt)

All games

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