Open: Niemann and Artemiev remain undefeated
After the second day of play in Doha, the open section of the World Rapid Championship has a new leading duo. Following nine rounds of the thirteen-round Swiss, Vladislav Artemiev and Hans Niemann sit at the top of the standings with 7½ points, both remaining unbeaten.
Artemiev’s rise to joint first has been one of the defining stories so far. The 27-year-old Russian grandmaster, who did not take part in last year’s edition and finished 23rd the year before, has been remarkably effective under pressure. Early on Saturday, severe time trouble worked in his favour: against both Arjun Erigaisi and Magnus Carlsen, Artemiev found resourceful defences while his opponents faltered. He then opted for a more controlled approach, securing draws against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alexey Sarana to preserve his lead going into Sunday.
Niemann began the day on 4/5 and needed a strong run to join Artemiev at the top. He delivered exactly that. After defeating IM Goutham Krishna – who had been one of the sensations on the first day of action – Niemann drew with Ray Robson before closing the day with victories over Le Quang Liem and Aleksandr Shimanov. In both of those games, he won the exchange and converted cleanly, bringing him level with Artemiev.
Hans Niemann | Photo: FIDE / Lennart Ootes
A half point behind, on 7/9, are four players.
- Magnus Carlsen recovered well after losing to Artemiev in round seven, scoring wins against Shant Sargsyan and Ray Robson in the final rounds of the day.
- Alexey Sarana remains undefeated, continuing his steady tournament with a series of solid results.
- Fourteen-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus also joined the chasing group, underlining that his modest rapid rating does not reflect his strength. The Turkish prodigy defeated Lu Shanglei, Jorden van Foreest and Nihal Sarin, conceding just one draw, and continues to justify his already exceptional classical rating for his age.
- Nodirbek Abdusattorov completed the quartet of pursuers after a strong finish to the day. Following a draw with Daniel Dardha in his first game on Saturday, he went on a three-game winning streak against Andrew Hong, Maksim Chigaev – who had earlier beaten Ian Nepomniachtchi – and finally world champion Gukesh Dommaraju.
Sunday’s opening round will see the two leaders, Artemiev and Niemann, face each other on the top board, while the four players on 7 points are paired against one another on the next boards, setting up a decisive final stretch.
Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus | Photo: FIDE / Lennart Ootes
Carlsen beats Robson
Magnus Carlsen playing black against Ray Robson | Photo: FIDE / Lennart Ootes
Standings after round 9
| 1 | GM | Artemiev, Vladislav | 2727 | 7,5 | 50 | |
| 2 | GM | Niemann, Hans Moke | 2612 | 7,5 | 44 | |
| 3 | GM | Carlsen, Magnus | 2824 | 7 | 48 | |
| 4 | GM | Sarana, Alexey | 2641 | 7 | 42,5 | |
| 5 | GM | Erdogmus, Yagiz Kaan | 2446 | 7 | 41,5 | |
| 6 | GM | Abdusattorov, Nodirbek | 2717 | 7 | 40,5 | |
| 7 | GM | Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime | 2730 | 6,5 | 50 | |
| 8 | GM | Erigaisi, Arjun | 2714 | 6,5 | 47,5 | |
| 9 | GM | Henriquez Villagra, Cristobal | 2586 | 6,5 | 46,5 | |
| 10 | GM | Mamedov, Rauf | 2610 | 6,5 | 46,5 | |
| 11 | GM | Gukesh, D | 2692 | 6,5 | 45,5 | |
| 12 | GM | Sindarov, Javokhir | 2704 | 6,5 | 44,5 | |
| 13 | GM | Lazavik, Denis | 2576 | 6,5 | 44 | |
| 14 | GM | So, Wesley | 2702 | 6,5 | 43 | |
| 15 | GM | Shimanov, Aleksandr | 2554 | 6,5 | 42,5 | |
| 16 | GM | Sevian, Samuel | 2658 | 6,5 | 42 | |
| 17 | GM | Dominguez Perez, Leinier | 2703 | 6,5 | 41,5 | |
| 18 | GM | Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar | 2707 | 6,5 | 39,5 | |
| 19 | GM | Maghsoodloo, Parham | 2669 | 6,5 | 39,5 | |
| 20 | GM | Robson, Ray | 2652 | 6 | 47,5 | |
| 21 | GM | Kosakowski, Jakub | 2506 | 6 | 46 | |
| 22 | GM | Nihal, Sarin | 2664 | 6 | 45 | |
| 23 | GM | Caruana, Fabiano | 2751 | 6 | 45 | |
| 24 | IM | Meng, Yihan | 2355 | 6 | 44,5 | |
| 25 | GM | Yu, Yangyi | 2680 | 6 | 44 |
All available games – Open
Women’s: Humpy catches Zhu
The women’s tournament also produced a change at the top on day two. Reigning champion Koneru Humpy caught Zhu Jiner in first place, with both players now leading on 6½ points after eight rounds. While Zhu maintained her position with a steadier day, Humpy’s more aggressive scoring allowed her to close the gap.
Zhu recorded three draws – against Aleksandra Goryachkina, Nino Batsiashvili and Mariya Muzychuk – before ending the day with a win over Divya Deshmukh.
Humpy, who had begun the championship with 3/4 on Friday, enjoyed a stronger second day, scoring 3½/4. She defeated Bat-Erdene Mungunzul, who had earlier defeated Ju Wenjun and Sara Khadem. Her run was halted only by a draw against Goryachkina, who escaped from a difficult position to split the point.
Humpy Koneru facing Aleksandra Goryachkina | Photo: FIDE / Lennart Ootes
Behind the joint leaders, no fewer than ten players are clustered closely together. Among them, 16-year-old FM Yining Chen has drawn particular attention. With a performance rating of 2553 so far, she defeated Alexandra Kosteniuk in round seven and has firmly outperformed her rapid rating.
IM Meri Arabidze also recovered impressively after losing her first game to FM Hong Nhung Nguyen, responding with four consecutive wins, including a victory over Ju Wenjun. The Chinese world champion endured a difficult day, finishing on 4½/8, two points off the lead.
Kateryna Lagno, the 2014 women’s world rapid champion, also moved back into contention. After a modest 2½/4 on the opening day, she reached 6/8 points overall – coinciding with her 36th birthday.
As in the open section, the two leaders in the women’s event will meet in the first round on Sunday, while the next five boards feature players separated by just half a point, leaving the title race wide open going into the final rounds.
16-year-old FM Yining Chen | Photo: FIDE / Lennart Ootes
Kateryna Lagno turned 36 on Saturday | Photo: FIDE / Lennart Ootes
Standings after round 8
| 1 | GM | Zhu, Jiner | 2435 | 6,5 | 37,5 | |
| 2 | GM | Koneru, Humpy | 2448 | 6,5 | 36 | |
| 3 | GM | Goryachkina, Aleksandra | 2505 | 6 | 39 | |
| 4 | GM | Batsiashvili, Nino | 2346 | 6 | 39 | |
| 5 | GM | Lei, Tingjie | 2496 | 6 | 37 | |
| 6 | GM | Dronavalli, Harika | 2435 | 6 | 37 | |
| 7 | FM | Chen, Yining | 2143 | 6 | 35,5 | |
| 8 | GM | Muzychuk, Mariya | 2421 | 6 | 35,5 | |
| 9 | WIM | Mungunzul, Bat-Erdene | 2288 | 6 | 35,5 | |
| 10 | GM | Lagno, Kateryna | 2452 | 6 | 35 | |
| 11 | IM | Arabidze, Meri | 2333 | 6 | 32,5 | |
| 12 | WGM | Khamdamova, Afruza | 2365 | 6 | 32 | |
| 13 | GM | Divya, Deshmukh | 2419 | 5,5 | 37 | |
| 14 | GM | Tan, Zhongyi | 2507 | 5,5 | 35,5 | |
| 15 | GM | Stefanova, Antoaneta | 2379 | 5,5 | 35,5 | |
| 16 | IM | Khademalsharieh, Sarasadat | 2356 | 5,5 | 35 | |
| 17 | GM | Kosteniuk, Alexandra | 2450 | 5,5 | 34,5 | |
| 18 | IM | Tokhirjonova, Gulrukhbegim | 2286 | 5,5 | 34,5 | |
| 19 | GM | Dzagnidze, Nana | 2425 | 5,5 | 34,5 | |
| 20 | IM | Savitha, Shri B | 2238 | 5,5 | 33 | |
| 21 | IM | Mammadzada, Gunay | 2315 | 5,5 | 32,5 | |
| 22 | GM | Muzychuk, Anna | 2398 | 5,5 | 32 | |
| 23 | WGM | Rudzinska, Michalina | 2210 | 5,5 | 32 | |
| 24 | IM | Atalik, Ekaterina | 2328 | 5,5 | 28,5 | |
| 25 | GM | Vaishali, Rameshbabu | 2359 | 5 | 35,5 |
All available games – Women’s
About the event
The FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championships 2025 will take place in Doha, Qatar from 25 to 30 December, bringing together the world’s elite chess talent for a thrilling end-of-year showdown. Held at the Sports and Events Complex, Qatar University, this edition features both Open and Women’s events in Rapid and Blitz formats, with a total prize fund of €1,000,000. Doha returns as host after nine years, underscoring Qatar’s growing stature in the chess world.
The full list of registered players can be found here:
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