Gukesh, Gujrathi to Compete in Superunited Rapid and Blitz Tournament

World Championship challenger D Gukesh will seek to enhance his reputation in rapid and blitz chess as he joins Vidit Gujrathi in the Superunited rapid and blitz chess tournament, part of the Grand Chess Tour.

Gukesh, who is set to face Chinese grandmaster Ding Liren in Singapore from November 20th for the World Championship title, has consistently demonstrated his prowess in classical chess. However, he is yet to establish himself among the world's elite in faster time controls.

In the event of a tie in the World Championship, rapid and blitz games will be played to determine the winner. Gukesh will be eager to emulate American Fabiano Caruana, who recently won the tiebreaker in Bucharest by defeating Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, and Alireza Firouzja of France.

Gujrathi, who received a wildcard, will be the other Indian participant in the tournament, which offers a prize pool of USD 175,000. The event will feature nine rounds of rapid chess and 18 rounds of blitz chess.

With each rapid win worth two points and each blitz win worth one point, the odds favor top seed Caruana, who will aim for consecutive victories on the tour. Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi and Alireza are other contenders who could challenge for the title.

Wesley So of the United States, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France, and Anish Giri of the Netherlands are also in contention, while local star Ivan Saric and American Levon Aronian complete the ten-player field.

So remains a threat but is struggling for form, while Vachier-Lagrave has yet to prove his consistency. Aronian led his team to victory in the recent Global Chess League in Dubai, but the former Armenian is past his peak. Giri has had mixed results in faster time controls and will be looking to end the tournament on a high note.

All eyes will be on Gujrathi to see if he can replicate his impressive performance in the recent Candidates Tournament. Gujrathi was one of the best-prepared players in that event and could spring some surprises in Zagreb.

Tags: #Chess, #WorldChampionship, #Gukesh, #Gujrathi, #Superunited