Grand Chess Tour, Poland Rapid & Blitz 2025: Fedoseev wins title, Praggnanandhaa finishes third

Vladimir Fedoseev lost only one game in the Blitz round to finish with a remarkable 15.5 out of a possible 18 points and emerge as the 2025 Grand Chess Tour: Rapid & Blitz champion in Warsaw on Wednesday.

He ended the tournament with 26.5 points, five clear of second-placed Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, taking home a prize of USD 40,000.

Praggnanandhaa finished third in the overall standings after suffering seven Blitz defeats, receiving a prize money of USD 25,000.

Meanwhile, Aravindh Chithambaram suffered a dramatic fall, losing 10 rounds in the shorter format. Though he had started strong, finishing in the top three on the first day of Blitz, he ended the tournament in eighth.

The contrasting journeys of the two Indians were evident in their head-to-head encounters, with Praggnanandhaa winning all games against his compatriot.

In their final clash, Praggnanandhaa (with white pieces) opened creatively with 1.b3 and 2.e4. Chithambaram responded solidly but was gradually outmanoeuvred.

The middlegame saw some sharp moves by Praggnanandhaa, who advanced his central pawns and built pressure on the queenside, even bringing his rook to d4 for greater control.

As the endgame neared, Praggnanandhaa used clever coordination of his pawns, knights, and rooks to tighten the grip. With his pawn racing towards promotion, Chithambaram struggled to hold on and eventually ran out of ideas and time.

It was a smart, controlled performance from Praggnanandhaa, underscoring why he won nine Blitz games. Unfortunately, those victories weren’t enough to seal the title.

The next leg of the Grand Chess Tour will be held in Romania, between May 6 and 16.