Firouzja Flies in Zagreb: The Last 24 Hours in Chess
Alireza Firouzja is on fire at the Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia in Zagreb. In the last 24 hours he won two more games to reach 10/12, three points clear of the chasing pack. World Champion Gukesh lost, then bounced back with two wins. Their showdown comes Friday. A simple, warm look at the day's chess.
Firouzja Flies in Zagreb: The Last 24 Hours in Chess
Some days in chess, one player just seems to have wings. Right now, in Zagreb, that player is Alireza Firouzja. Over the last 24 hours he has kept winning, kept smiling, and pulled far ahead of a field full of stars. Let's look at what happened.
The runaway leader
The tournament is called the Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia. It is played at the Westin Hotel in Zagreb from July 1 to July 5. Ten strong players are here. First they play three days of fast "rapid" chess. Then they play two days of even faster "blitz" chess.
On Thursday, the second day of rapid, Firouzja did something special again. He won two games and drew one. He did the same thing on day one. Add it all up, and he now has 10 out of 12 points. That is three whole points more than anyone else. In a short, fast event, that is a big, big lead.
Here is a small picture of the top of the table:
| Player | Points (after 6 rounds) |
|---|---|
| Alireza Firouzja | 10 / 12 |
| Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | 7 / 12 |
| Vincent Keymer | 7 / 12 |
| Gukesh Dommaraju | 7 / 12 |
| Bogdan-Daniel Deac | 7 / 12 |
What makes it even sweeter? Firouzja keeps winning with the black pieces. In chess, white moves first, so white is a little easier. Firouzja has won all three of his black games so far. On Thursday he beat Vincent Keymer in a sharp fight, then beat Praggnanandhaa when the young Indian star slipped in an equal endgame.
A hard day for the champion
Not everyone had an easy Thursday. Gukesh Dommaraju, the current World Champion, started the day with a loss. He was beaten by Romania's Bogdan-Daniel Deac, who has been playing brave, fearless chess. For a moment, it looked rough for Gukesh.
But great champions bounce back. Gukesh calmed down, took a breath, and won his next two games against Jorden van Foreest and Anish Giri. By the end of the day he had climbed back into the group tied for second place. Losing, then winning twice in a row, shows a strong and steady mind.
One more name to remember: Maxime Vachier-Lagrave from France. He is the only player besides Firouzja who has not lost a single game yet. Quiet and solid, he is still very much in the hunt.
The big game is coming
Here is the part that makes fans excited. Firouzja and Gukesh have not played each other yet. Their game is set for Friday, in round nine. Gukesh will have the black pieces against the flying leader.
Think about it: the runaway leader against the World Champion, face to face. If Gukesh wins, the race opens up again. If Firouzja wins, his grip on first place may become almost impossible to break.
Why it is fun to watch
Fast chess is full of surprises. One small mistake, one lucky idea, and everything can change in seconds. Right now Firouzja looks unstoppable. But two more days of rapid and two days of blitz still remain. In Zagreb, the clocks are ticking, the fans are cheering, and the story is far from over.
Sources: ChessBase and Chess.com reports on the 2026 Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia (Zagreb), day two of rapid, July 3, 2026.
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