Four rounds were played on the second day of the FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship in both the Open and Women’s sections, delivering several surprises on and off the board.
After nine rounds, four players share the lead in the Open section: Volodar Murzin, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Arjun Erigaisi, and Alexander Grischuk. In the Women’s competition, after eight rounds, Ju Wenjun emerged at the top, together with two Indian superstars – Harika Dronavalli and Koneru Humpy, all on 6.5.
Rapid Open: Four players in the lead
The sole leader after day one, 18-year-old Murzin, maintained his strong form. He drew against three top contenders—Leinier Domínguez, Arjun Erigaisi, and Anish Giri—before capping the day with a resounding victory over none other than U.S. heavyweight Hikaru Nakamura.
Alexander Grischuk was the standout performer among the leaders, scoring 3.5 points out of four games to surge into the top group. Duda and Erigaisi also impressed, each adding three points to their tally.
Close behind the leaders is a group of 10 players with 6.5 points, including American GMs Sam Sevian, Leinier Domínguez, and Daniel Naroditsky. Meanwhile, super-GMs Hikaru Nakamura, Levon Aronian, Alireza Firouzja, and Fabiano Caruana are on six points, still within striking distance of the top.
One of the day’s most inspiring stories came from 15-year-old IM Brewington Hardaway from the Bronx (pictured below). With four draws and a victory over strong grandmasters, Hardaway completed the requirements for the GM title, becoming the first African-American grandmaster in the U.S. in 25 years, following Maurice Ashley. Hardaway’s ultimate test came early in the day when he faced world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. Despite giving his best, time trouble and Carlsen’s experience ultimately prevailed. Hardaway ended the day with four points.
For defending World Rapid Champion Magnus Carlsen, the day brought mixed results. After defeating Hardaway in round six, Carlsen narrowly escaped a loss to Daniel Dardha in round seven due to Dardha’s time trouble. The Norwegian rebounded with a comfortable victory over compatriot Aryan Tari in round eight. However, Carlsen was not paired for round nine after refusing to comply with the tournament’s dress code, which he had agreed to upon registration. He later publicly announced his withdrawal from the tournament.
Women’s Rapid: Ju Wenjun takes the lead
The Women’s section saw a major shake-up at the top. Alice Lee, the day one leader, stumbled in her first game, losing to reigning Classical World Champion Ju Wenjun. After a flawless four-game victory streak on day one, Lee managed just one draw from four games on day two, plummeting in the standings.
Ju Wenjun capitalized on Lee’s slip, climbing to shared first place with 6.5 points. Ju’s victories included a crucial win over one of her biggest threats, Tan Zhongyi, in round six. Two draws in the final rounds kept her in the lead.
Joining Ju at the top are Indian stars Harika Dronavalli and Humpy Koneru, also on 6.5 points. Dronavalli’s stellar performance included back-to-back victories over Zhu Chen and Lei Tingjie in the last two rounds of the day.
The chasing pack includes five players on six points, among them U.S. standout Carissa Yip and rapid veterans Kateryna Lagno and Alexandra Kosteniuk.
Written by Milan Dinic
Photos: Lennart Ootes and Michal Walusza
All the information about the event, including results, news, images and regulations are available on the official event webpage: worldrapidandblitz.fide.com
The full schedule of the event is available here: Schedule – 2024 FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships.
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