Two players remain undefeated

Vladimir Fedoseev and Alireza Firouzja are sharing the lead after two days of rapid chess at the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland tournament, the inaugural event of this year's Grand Chess Tour. The competition is taking place at the Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw.

Fedoseev had finished Saturday as the sole leader, after collecting two wins and a draw on the first day. Importantly, the Slovenian representative missed a key opportunity to defeat Firouzja in their direct encounter in round one, a result that might prove crucial in the final standings. On Sunday, Fedoseev drew all three of his games, allowing Firouzja to catch up with him at the top of the standings. Wins are worth 2 points in the rapid section, and the two co-leaders currently stand on 8 points out of a possible 12.

Firouzja had a strong start to the second day. He defeated Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu in round four and then secured two draws, against Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Levon Aronian. Notably, Fedoseev and Firouzja are the only players who remain undefeated in Warsaw.

How to attack - principles of training

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.

Standing one point behind the leaders is Aravindh Chithambaram. The Indian grandmaster beat Veselin Topalov in round four and followed up with two draws to remain in clear contention for first place.

Another point behind Aravindh are Aronian, Duda and Bogdan-Daniel Deac. All three have identical records after six rounds, each scoring one win, one loss, and four draws.

At the bottom of the standings is Veselin Topalov. The former FIDE world champion, who is making a rare appearance in an elite tournament at the age of 50, continued to struggle on Sunday. Much like on the first day, Topalov lost his first two games before bouncing back with a victory. In round six, he managed to defeat Praggnanandhaa, currently one of the world's top classical players after winning the Tata Steel Masters earlier this year - Topalov himself won the tournament in Wijk aan Zee twice, in 2006 and 2007, almost twenty years ago.

Alireza Firouzja defeated Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu in round four | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Veselin Topalov facing Bogdan-Daniel Deac with black (1-0) | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Vachier-Lagrave 1-0 Gavrilescu

Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime2722

1–0

Gavrilescu, David2554

GCT Superbet Rapid Poland 2025 Warsaw27.04.2025[CC]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.g3 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.Bg5 Vachier-Lagrave, a frequent practitioner of the Najdorf Sicilian, reached this position with both colours in the past. Facing Le Quang Liem with black in 2020, he played the same move as his opponent in Warsaw (8...Be6), while Wei Yi, playing black against MVL, went for 8...Nbd7. Be6 MVL v. Wei continued with 8...Nbd7 9.a4 h6 10.Be3 b6 11.Bc4 Bb7 12.Nd2 0-0 13.0-0 and the Frenchman went on to score a win from this position with kings castled on the same flank. 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.Qd3 Be7 11.0-0-0 Nd7 12.f4 Nf6 13.f5 Bd7 14.Be2 Bc6 15.g4 h6 16.h4 Nd7 17.Qg3 Qc7

Only here did the players leave theory. MVL was better prepared to face this line if we go by the time spent up to this point (Vachier-Lagrave had 22 minutes to Gavrilescu's 13). 17...b5 18.Kb1 Rc8 19.a3 Qb6 20.g5 hxg5 21.hxg5 Rxh1 22.Rxh1 Bf8 was seen in Deimante Daulyte-Cornette v. Marina Brunello. White went on to win that game. 18.Bc4 Rc8 19.Rh2 b5 Black pushes his queenside pawns, setting up a typical Sicilian middlegame battle with kings sitting on opposite sides of the board. This was a daring strategy by Gavrilescu, given MVL's well-known expertise in these systems. 20.Bd5 b4 21.Bxc6 bxc3 Gavrilescu finds the best continuation. Less strong for Black is 21...Qxc6 22.Nd5 Nf6 Not 22...Bd8 23.Kb1 a5 24.g5 a4 25.Nc1 and White's attack is more dangerous. 23.Nxf6+ gxf6 24.Qf3 though this is still double-edged, with chances for both sides. (Note the defensive role played by the rook from h2). 22.Ba4 Kf8 23.Bxd7 Qxd7 24.bxc3 a5

An inaccuracy by Black. Better is to recover the material by attacking the pawns on c3 and d4 with 24...Qc6 and e.g. 25.Qe3 Qxc3 26.Qxc3 Rxc3 27.Rd3 Rc7 with dynamic equality, though Black still needs to be careful. 25.Rd5 a4 26.Nd2 Qa7 Following his decision to push the a-pawn, Black continues to look for attacking chances. However, White is quicker and more effective on the other flank. Engines suggest 26...g5 27.fxg6 fxg6 28.Rf2+ Kg8 29.a3 Rh7 but it is always unlikely for a human to open up the position around their king. Furthermore, Gavrilescu already had less than 5 minutes on the clock (to MVL's 14). 27.g5 Rb8 28.g6 Qb7 29.Kd1

This is what MVL had calculated - that he can escape with his king to the centre of the board. The king manoeuvre is not the most accurate, but it is effective enough for White to remain in the driver's seat. Stronger is 29.Nc4 and after Qb1+ 30.Kd2 looking for trades (to release the pressure on the kingside) via Qf1 31.Ne3 Qf4 32.Qxf4 exf4 33.Ng2 only cements White's advantage. 29...Qb2 30.Qd3 Qxa2 Black places his hope on creating threats with an outside passer. 31.Rxd6 Strong, though not the most accurate. Better (and perhaps more elegant) is 31.Rb5 Rc8 32.Rb7 with threats mounting from both sides of the board. 31...a3 Logical, though not the best defensive attempt. Better is 31...fxg6 32.fxg6 Ke8 33.Ra6 Rf8 activating the kingside rook. 32.Ke2 Kg8 33.Rd7 Bf6 34.Nb3 White is completely winning now, as the queen on a2 and the rook on h8 are out of play. h5 Of course 34...Rxb3 fails to 35.Rd8+ Bxd8 36.Qxd8# 35.gxf7+

White breaks through. 35...Kh7 35...Kf8 36.Qd6+ Be7 37.Qxe7# 36.Qf3 Kh6 37.Rg2 Qxc2+ 38.Rd2 38.Rd2 Qb1 39.Rg6+ Kh7 40.Qxh5# 1–0

The Classical Sicilian - A Timeless Counterattacking Weapon

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

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Standings after round 6 (win = 2pts; draw = 1pt)

All games

Links

• Grand Chess Tour website
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