Blitz – Rounds 1-9
The Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia, the third leg of the 2026 Grand Chess Tour, is being held in Zagreb from 1 to 5 July. It follows the two opening tournaments of the tour, which were held in Warsaw and Bucharest.
The Croatia uses the familiar rapid and blitz format. The tournament begins with a 10-player single round-robin in rapid chess, with nine rounds played at a time control of 25 minutes plus a 10-second increment from move one. Rapid games count double: a win is worth 2 points, a draw 1 point and a loss 0 points.
The blitz section will then consist of a double round-robin, with 18 rounds across two cycles. The time control is 5 minutes plus a 2-second increment from move one. In the blitz section, a win is worth 1 point and a draw ½ point. The player with the highest combined rapid and blitz score will win the tournament.
- July 1-3: Rapid
- July 4-5: Blitz
The action kicks off daily at 15.00 CEST, except for the final day (5 July), which starts one hour earlier, at 14.00 CEST.
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Live games and commentary
Looking for an opening that gets your opponents thinking on move one? Grandmaster Andy Woodward has relied on 1.b3 for years in blitz and bullet, using it to defeat strong masters and grandmasters who underestimated its hidden venom. While many players dismiss the opening as harmless, they often find themselves caught in unfamiliar positions, tactical traps, and uncomfortable middlegames. This compact course is designed specifically for practical play. Instead of overwhelming you with endless theory, it focuses on the critical lines, typical plans, and recurring tactical ideas that matter most when the clock is ticking.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: King’s Indian Setup
Commentary provided by GMÂ Yasser Seirawan, GMÂ Maurice Ashley, GMÂ Cristian Chirila and IMÂ Nazi Paikidze
Current standings – Blitz
All games – Rapid
Final standings – Rapid (win = 2 pts, draw = 1 pt)
GCT 2026 rankings
Calculation is at the heart of practical chess. Every chess concept builds on proper calculation technique. Therefore, all chess players should continuosly train the fundamental techniques, concepts and patterns this course will present. The goal isn’t only to teach you to calculate, but to give you the tools and insights to keep improving long after the final lesson.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Quiet Moves
| Player | POL | ROU | CRO | STL | SIN | Total points | Prize money | |
| 1 | Fabiano Caruana (United States) | 10 | 10 | 20 | $125,833 | |||
| 2 | Wesley So (United States) | 8 | 7.5 | 15.5 | $72,500 | |||
| 3 | Vincent Keymer (Germany) | 13 | 13 | $131,250 | ||||
| 4 | Javokhir Sindarov (Uzbekistan) | 3 | 7.5 | 10.5 | $72,333 | |||
| T–5 | Alireza Firouzja (France) | 6 | 1 | 7 | $25,000 | |||
| T–5 | Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France) | 3 | 4 | 7 | $37,416 | |||
| T–7 | Jorden van Foreest (Netherlands) | 4 | 4 | $28,416 | ||||
| T–7 | Anish Giri (Netherlands) | 4 | 4 | $28,416 | ||||
| T–7 | R Praggnanandhaa (India) | 4 | 4 | $28,416 | ||||
| Hans Niemann (United States) | 13 | 13 | $50,000 | |||||
| Vladimir Fedoseev (Slovenia) | 7 | 7 | $20,000 | |||||
| Gukesh Dommaraju (India) | 5 | 5 | $11,000 | |||||
| Bogdan-Daniel Deac (Romania) | 4 | 4 | $28,416 | |||||
| Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland) | 3 | 3 | $9,000 | |||||
| Radosław Wojtaszek (Poland) | 1 | 1 | $7,000 | |||||
| Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan) | ||||||||
| Ivan Saric (Croatia) | ||||||||
| Levon Aronian (United States) |