The Super Rapid and Blitz 2026 kicked off with 10 superstars facing off against each other. On day 1 of the Rapid event, there were three games. Let's have a look at what transpired.

The beautiful playing hall of the Warsaw Grand Chess Tour - Polin Museum | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Round 1 - Gukesh's missed opportunity

Gukesh played an incredible game against Alireza Firouzja. He found his way through the opening, then put pressure on his opponent in the middlegame, induced the error and got a winning position. The only issue was the level of resistance that Firouzja showed.

Alireza Firouzja was completely outplayed by Gukesh, but didn't give up! | Photo: Lennart Ootes/ Grand Chess Tour

Alireza Firouzja vs D. Gukesh, Super Rapid 2026, Round 1

Alireza Firouzja's opening idea of Bf4 and h4 wasn't new, it was something that Gukesh has already played before - with white pieces!

A key moment in the game. Should you take with the pawn or the bishop?

Gukesh took with the pawn and it turned out to be the error. The game is drawn after it. It was much better to take with the bishop. The b-pawn is farther away from the white king and after a pawn sacrifice f4, the Black king moves in via f5 and g4 and creates a h-passer. Very difficult to foresee all of this under time pressure. But once Gukesh took with the pawn, it was already drawn.

Judit Polgar made the opening move in the all Polish clash between Duda and Wojtaszek | Photo: Lennart Ootes/ Grand Chess Tour

Duda vs Wojtaszek, Round 1

In this position Wojtaszek went in for the kill as he sacrificed the knight with Nexf2. White responded with Rxf2 and then Rxe3. The position was still dynamically balanced but within a couple of moves the game ended.

Caruana vs MVL, Round 1

Fabiano Caruana unleashed a beautiful tactic here. Can you find it?

It is time for LPDO - Loose Pieces Drop Off! Fabi played Rxg7!! and after Kxg7 he went Qg1+ and picked up the rook on d4 with a totally winning position.

The game between Hans Niemann and Javokhir Sindarov ended in a solid draw | Photo: Lennart Ootes/ Grand Chess Tour

Results Round 1

Round 2

Gukesh vs Hans Niemann, Round 2

It's very rare to see such positions being converted at this level

Ke4 was the key error by Gukesh. His opponent got in the move ...h3 and now it is impossible to capture the pawn because of the Nf2+ tactic. Hans was able to beat Gukesh thanks to this.

Wesley So scored his second win in a row, this time downing Radoslaw Wojtaszek in an equal knight endgame. | Photo: Lennart Ootes/ Grand Chess Tour

Firouzja showed his class as he downed Maxime Vachier Lagrave | Photo: Lennart Ootes/ Grand Chess Tour

Vladimir Fedoseev had shown hot form in Warsaw in 2025. He showed why he is someone to fear as he scored a fine win against Fabiano Caruana. | Photo: Lennart Ootes/ Grand Chess Tour

Results Round 2

Round 3

Gukesh had his back to the wall in the 3rd round against Jan Krzysztof Duda, but somehow magically not only managed to escape the pressure, but also won the game! | Photo: Lennart Ootes/ Grand Chess Tour

The defending champion Fabiano Caruana came back strong after a loss in round 2 against Fedoseev. He is now one of the joint leaders after beating Wesley So in round 3. | Photo: Michal Walusza

After two draws, Javokhir Sindarov struck through in the 3rd game. He beat Radoslaw Wojtaszek. | Photo: Lennart Ootes/ Grand Chess Tour

Results Round 3

Standings after 3 Rounds

Graphic: Grand Chess Tour

Round 4 Pairings

Opening Ceremony

The Lineup | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Guess what's in Fabi's phone | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Who won the game? | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

The happiest guy after the candidates! | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Alexander Onischuk | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Is it 6 or is it 9? | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Hmmmmm, I will be 1st | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Guess who I am?? | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

The opening ceremony of the Super Rapid and Blitz 2026

Schedule: Rapid

Source: Official Site

Schedule: Blitz

Source: Official Site

Prize Fund

The total prize fund for each Rapid & Blitz event shall be Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000), which shall be distributed as follows:

Source: Official Site

Format and Time Control

Rapid: 10-player Round Robin, with 25 minutes + 10-second increment from move 1.

Blitz: 10-player Double Round Robin, with 5 minutes + 2-second increment from move 1.

Point System

  • 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss in a Rapid game

  • 1 point for a win, ½ point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss in a Blitz game.

Line Up

Check out the Line-up: Here | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Venue: Museum of the History of Polish Jews

The Museum of the History of Polish Jews, also known as POLIN Museum, is located in Warsaw, Poland. It stands on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto and serves as a cultural and educational center dedicated to preserving and showcasing the thousand-year history of Polish Jews. Opened in 2013, the museum offers a comprehensive journey through centuries of Jewish presence in Poland, highlighting their contributions to Polish society and the challenges they faced.

Photo: The New York Times

Important Links

Grand Chess Tour: Official Site, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube
Super Rapid & Blitz Poland: Details, Standings, Tickets