GMs Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Hans Niemann, Vladimir Fedoseev, and Javokhir Sindarov share the lead with 4/6 points after three rapid rounds at the 2026 Super Rapid & Blitz Poland. Caruana's last-round win over So propelled him into the tie atop the standings. Day two rapid rounds are scheduled for Wednesday at 8 a.m. ET.
The 2026 Super Rapid & Blitz Poland, opening event of the Grand Chess Tour, began Tuesday at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, Poland. Five grandmasters sit tied for first with 4 out of 6 points following the first three rounds of rapid chess, where wins are worth two points each. Caruana defeated So in round three after So had led earlier with wins over Fedoseev and Radoslaw Wojtaszek. Niemann outplayed World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju in a time scramble, while Fedoseev rebounded from his opening loss with victories over Caruana and Alireza Firouzja. Sindarov stayed undefeated, capping his day with a win against Wojtaszek. GMs Alireza Firouzja, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and Gukesh trail with 3 points, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave has 1 point, and Wojtaszek sits last with 0/6. Niemann, returning to the Grand Chess Tour, noted an allergy issue but said, 'Sometimes when you're a bit sick, you can play really well.' Sindarov, the World Championship challenger after winning the 2026 FIDE Candidates, added, 'I don't try to win this tournament, I just want to play on my level. That's my goal.' The tournament continues with three more rapid days followed by two blitz days, offering a $50,000 first prize from a $200,000 fund. Round five on Wednesday will feature Sindarov against Gukesh for the first time since the Candidates.
