Vladimir Fedoseev will go into the final day of the 2025 Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland tournament with a significant 3½-point lead after a dominant display on Tuesday. The Slovenian representative, who had already impressed in the rapid section, scored an outstanding 8/9 in the first half of the blitz, increasing his chances of taking overall victory in the opening event of this year's Grand Chess Tour.
At the start of the day, Fedoseev was tied for the lead with Aravindh Chithambaram and Alireza Firouzja. As the blitz rounds progressed, however, he gradually pulled away from the field. Fedoseev won seven games, drew two and did not lose a single one.
His closest call came against Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. In a rook and bishop versus rook endgame, the Indian grandmaster was a full piece up and close to converting the win. But a single error - the move 81...Bc2?? - allowed Fedoseev to grab the bishop with 82.Rc7
The roles were suddenly reversed, and Praggnanandhaa found himself fighting for a draw in a pawn-down endgame. He managed to hold, but the draw meant that Fedoseev continued his unbeaten run in Warsaw.
Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Despite this setback, Praggnanandhaa ended the day in sole second place. He had a difficult start, losing his first two games of the blitz portion, but stabilised afterwards. In a post-game interview, he remarked that early losses are not uncommon in blitz tournaments and can be overcome with consistent play in later rounds.
One point behind the Indian player is a group of three grandmasters: Levon Aronian, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Aravindh Chithambaram. Vachier-Lagrave, like Praggnanandhaa, began the day with two losses, but recovered strongly with five wins and only one further defeat, drawing once - against Aravindh in the final game of the day. Aravindh himself dropped from the leading group, and like Firouzja, was unable to match the pace set by Fedoseev.
Levon Aronian is now tied for third place a whole 4½ points behind leader Vladimir Fedoseev | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave is tied with Levon Aronian and Aravindh Chithambaram for third place | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Firouzja also lost ground in the blitz. While his combined score still keeps him within reach of a podium finish, he will need a strong showing on Wednesday to challenge for the top spots. The same applies to Aravindh, whose solid rapid performance continues to support his overall standing despite a more difficult blitz outing.
With nine blitz games still to be played on the final day, the action resumes two hours earlier than usual on Wednesday, with Fedoseev aiming to secure tournament victory, while his closest rivals will look to catch up - or at least solidify their positions on the final leaderboard.
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