DOHA – Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi is the sole leader at FIDE World Blitz Championship 2025 after 10 rounds of play in Qatar. Erigaisi defeated Magnus Carlsen on Round 9 and Nodirbek Abdusattorov on Round 10 to emerge as the sole leader with 8.5/10 points – he will face Fabiano Caruana with the White pieces in Round 11.
The World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships Qatar 2025, hosted by Qatar University at the Sports and Events Complex, will conclude tomorrow, Tuesday. The Blitz World Champion for the year will be determined through the final rounds, semi-final matches, and the final match for both men and women.
254 players are participating in the men’s blitz chess competition. The women’s competition includes 142 players, comprising current world champions, elite rapid chess specialists, and prominent competitors representing federations from around the world.
India’s Arjun Erigaisi topped the rankings in the blitz chess competitions after his decisive victory over the previous leader, Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov, at the end of the tenth round with 8.5 points, while Erigaisi’s total reached 7.5 points.
American Fabiano Caruana came in third with 8 points, tied with Frenchman Maxime Lagrave. The match between Caruana and leader Erigaisi will determine who wins the top spot before the semi-final rounds tomorrow. The match between Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Frenchman Maxime Lagrave will also be decisive in the race for the semi-final tickets, while Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, winner of the Qatar 2025 Rapid Chess World Cup, will face a tough test in the 11th round against Russia’s Murzin Volodar, the Rapid Chess World Champion.
Carlsen achieved victory on 5 occasions, drew in 4 matches, and lost against the Indian Arjun Erigaisi.
Regarding the Qatari players, Hussein Aziz secured 4 points after achieving victory in 4 matches and losing six encounters, while Ahmed Saif, Hamad Al Kuwari, Fahad Al Mansouri, Ibrahim Al Janahi, and Khalid Al Jumaat all managed to get two points each during the ten rounds.
In the women’s category, the Dutch player Eline Roebers (19 years old) leads the standings after the tenth round with 8.5 points, followed by Russia’s Alexandra Goryachkina, the third seed in the tournament, with 8 points, tying with Uzbekistan’s Umida Omonova and Belarus’s Stefanova Antoaneta.
The five-time World Champion, China’s Ju Wenjun, the world number one seed, is in 44th place with 5.5 points. China’s Tan Zhongyi, the world number two seed and former Women’s World Champion, achieved six points to land in 36th place.
As for the Qatari female players, former World Champion Zhu Chen finished in 93rd place with 4.5 points after securing victories in 4 matches against Bulgaria’s Bilislava Krasteva, Mexico’s Tania Rodriguez, Georgia’s Ketsaria Megreladze, and Spain’s Redondo Rodriguez, while she drew with China’s Li Yufei. Qatari national team player Ghada Al Khulaifi earned one point.
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