Marking the midway point of the tour is the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia, which started on July 10. Following the same format as the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland, it offers the competitors a chance to display their skills under immense time pressure in a double round-robin tournament. Held in Zagreb, Croatia, the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz continues to be one of the major stops in the Grand Chess Tour.

The event features seven full-tour players and three wildcard players, Levon Aronian (USA), who replaced Magnus Carlsen (World #1 withdrew due to an urgent family matter), Vidit Gujrathi (India) and Ivan Saric (Croatia).

By the end of Day 1, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave seized the sole lead in the competition after defeating Levon Aronian and Ivan Saric, while drawing his third-round game with Wesley So.

Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So trail the French #2 by one point, sharing second place.

Firouzja, Anish Giri, and Nepomniachtchi all started the tournament with three draws.

Photos: Lennart Ootes

Official website: grandchesstour.org/