Fedoseev Shines in Warsaw, Wins Grand Chess Tour Opener in Style
01.05.2025 07:20 | NewsVladimir Fedoseev claimed a stunning victory at the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland 2025, finishing three rounds early with one of the highest scores in Grand Chess Tour history. The tour now moves to Bucharest for the first classical event starting May 7.
What is the Grand Chess Tour?
The Grand Chess Tour is one of the world’s most prestigious chess series, featuring the top players competing across rapid, blitz, and classical tournaments. Players earn points at each event, aiming for a top spot in the final standings. Legends like Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, and Levon Aronian regularly compete in the tour.
A Brilliant Performance by Fedoseev
The event, held from April 26 to 30 at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, featured nine rounds of rapid games (25 minutes + 10 seconds per move, two points for a win) and eighteen rounds of blitz games (5 minutes + 2 seconds per move, one point for a win).
Fedoseev started strong in the rapid section, sharing the lead with Alireza Firouzja and Aravindh Chithambaram. In the blitz rounds, he took complete control, scoring 8/9 on the first day and building an unstoppable lead.
He finished the tournament with 26.5 points, matching the record performances of Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana in previous years. Fedoseev won $40,000 for first place but, as a wildcard, he did not earn Grand Chess Tour points.
Across 27 games, he lost just once—to Polish number one Jan-Krzysztof Duda—and secured key wins against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Veselin Topalov, and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu.
"It’s an extremely satisfying feeling," Fedoseev said after the tournament. "Sometimes you can’t believe it’s happening."
Vachier-Lagrave and Praggnanandhaa Complete the Podium
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave fought hard to take second place, finishing five points behind Fedoseev after a strong final day. Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu completed the podium in third place, showing resilience after a difficult start in the blitz rounds.
Meanwhile, Alireza Firouzja, who had shared the lead after the rapid games, struggled in blitz and dropped down the standings.
What’s Next?
The Grand Chess Tour continues next week with the Superbet Chess Classic Romania 2025 in Bucharest, starting on May 7. The classical event will feature new participants, including World Champion Dommaraju Gukesh.