R Praggnanandhaa falls back, Firouzja rockets ahead in blitz at Zagreb Grand Chess Tour

Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa could not replicate his rapid form, managing just 3.5 points from the opening nine rounds of the blitz section, while France's Alireza Firouzja produced a brilliant display to emerge as the sole leader after the penultimate day of the Croatian leg of the Grand Chess Tour.

Alireza was simply brilliant in the faster version as he knocked down as many as eight points out of a possible nine and took a massive three-point lead on 20 points over nearest rivals Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France.

Praggnaandhaa slipped behind to a distant fourth on 15.5 points, while world champion D Gukesh had another average day to reach 14 points for his fifth spot.

In what can be termed one of the most dominant performances in Grand Chess Tour history, Firouzja has left half the field at least seven points adrift. Vincent Keymer of Germany is sixth on 13 points, Dutchman Anish Giri is another half a point behind, while Deac Bogdan-Daniel of Romania is on 11.5. Another two points behind is Jorden van Foreest of Holland, and Croatian Ivan Saric is at the bottom on just 5 points.

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After a dramatic bounce back that saw him sharing the lead after the rapid section with Alireza, Praggnaandhaa apparently missed the thread in the blitz section. Starting the day with a win over Keymer, Praggnaandhaa took a draw in the next game with Giri, but then four straight losses were enough to dent his confidence. The Indian ended with a net score of 3.5 points out of a possible eight on the fourth day of the tournament.

Things were not so much different for Gukesh, even though he got a half point more than Praggnaandhaa. Four losses in patches for the youngest-ever world champion did not help his cause much.

With 9 rounds in the blitz section still to be played, the top place is probably already decided. Praggnaandhaa still has a chance for a podium finish if he regains his touch on the final day of this 2,00,000 USD prize money tournament.

Standings after round 9 rapid and 9 rounds of blitz: 1. Firouzja Alireza (Fr) 20; 2-3. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra) Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb) 17 each; 4. R Praggnanandhaa (Ind) 15.5; 5. D Gukesh (Ind) 13.5; Vincent Keymer (Ger) 13; 7. Anish Giri (Ned) 12.5; 8. Deac Bogdan-Daniel (Rou) 11.5; Jorden van Foreest (Ned) 9.5; 10. Ivan Saric (Cro) 5.