Sharp battles, no lack of drama
The rapid section of the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland tournament concluded on Monday with three players tied at the top of the standings. Aravindh Chithambaram scored two wins and one loss to join Vladimir Fedoseev and Alireza Firouzja in the lead as the competition now moves into the blitz portion.
Aravindh's most important result came in the final round of rapid chess, when he defeated Firouzja in a dramatic encounter. Firouzja, who had been leading the event after beating Veselin Topalov in round eight, found himself in a difficult position against the Indian grandmaster. The French representative failed to foresee a tactical shot when he allowed Aravindh to play 25.Rxd5
Black could not capture the rook with 25...Nxd5 due to the immediate mate with 26.Qxg7#. Firouzja instead chose 25...Qg4, and Aravindh in turn missed the strongest continuation with 26.Qxe7, which would have allowed White to coordinate his pieces and create decisive threats against the weakened black king.
White instead went for 26.Bxf6 Bxf6 27.Nxf6+ gxf6 and 28.Qe7 (28.Qd6 is stronger).
Despite these missed chances, Aravindh kept pressing. Firouzja defended resourcefully to reach a drawn rook endgame a pawn down - but eventually lost on time on move 85!
The course is designed to provide a deep yet practical repertoire for Black, balancing solid foundations with aggressive counterplay.
The Classical Sicilian has stood the test of time as one of the most principled and fighting defences against 1.e4. With its rich history spanning world championship matches and modern elite tournaments, this opening remains a favourite among players who seek a dynamic, counterattacking approach without venturing into extreme theoretical battles like the Najdorf or Sveshnikov.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: 6.h3
Alireza Firouzja | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Earlier in the day, Aravindh had defeated Jan-Krzysztof Duda after surprising his opponent by playing an offbeat opening variation. However, he was then defeated in his game with black against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.
Heading into the blitz portion of the tournament, Aravindh, Firouzja and Fedoseev are tied with 11 points each. They hold a one-point lead over Levon Aronian and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. The blitz section will consist of 18 rounds, with 1 point awarded for a win and ½ point for a draw.
Given the large number of blitz games still to be played, other players remain within realistic striking distance. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, currently on 9 points, and even Bogdan-Daniel Deac and Jan-Krzysztof Duda, both on 8 points, will have plenty of opportunities to fight for top honours over the next two days.
Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu ended the rapid section with back-to-back wins over David Gavrilescu and Jan-Krzysztof Duda | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Aravindh 1-0 Duda
Most players prefer to attack rather than defend. But what is the correct way to do it? GM Dr Karsten Müller has compiled many rules and motifs to guide you, along with sharpening your intuition for the exceptions.
Local hero Jan-Krzysztof Duda | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Final standings - Rapid (win = 2 pts; draw = 1 pt)
All games - Rapid
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