After two days of FIDE World Rapid in Doha, Vladislav Artemiev and Hans Niemann share the lead in the Open on 7.5/9. In the Women’s Rapid, Zhu Jiner maintained her position at the top, but is joined by defending champion Humpy Koneru, with both ending the day on 6.5/8.
In the Open event, Magnus Carlsen – who had 4.5/5 on day one – was put on the back foot on day two, starting with a draw and a defeat. Instead, it was Vladislav Artemiev (who defeated Carlsen) and Hans Niemann who shone, ending the day as joint leaders. They are chased by four players half a point behind: Carlsen, Sarana, Erdogmus and Abdusattorov.
Zhu Jiner continued strongly in the Women’s Rapid and is now level with Humpy Koneru, who scored 3.5 points in four games. Both are on 6.5/8. They are trailed by as many as ten players on 6/8.
The Open Rapid
The standout players of the day in the Open were Vladislav Artemiev and Hans Niemann.
One of the co-leaders on day one, Artemiev was in great form on day two. He opened with a victory as Black against India’s Arjun Erigaisi, coming back from a lost position and playing much of the game on increment. After Round 6 he became the sole leader of the tournament, with a half-point advantage.
In Round 7, Artemiev defeated Carlsen in a game where the world’s top-rated player made a grave mistake on move 15, which cost him dearly. This win put Artemiev on 6.5 points, a full point ahead of the field.
Artemiev concluded the day with two calm draws with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alexey Sarana.
“I am pleased with my performance, and everything is feeling good,” Artemiev told FIDE in a brief comment.
Artemiev is joined at the top by Hans Niemann, who scored 3.5/4, conceding only a draw to compatriot Ray Robson.
After a 4.5/5 on day one, Carlsen’s performance on day two slipped.
In the first game of the day, in round six, he played the Sicilian against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Things didn’t go that well for Carlsen, who found himself with tripled pawns on the e-file and spent more time looking for the moves. After transitioning to a rook endgame where White had a 4-3 pawn advantage, it was clear that the best outcome for Carlsen was a draw. After testing Carlsen for a few moves, MVL agreed to split a point.
Then came a huge upset for Carlsen in round seven. After surrendering on move 30, the Norwegian stormed out of the playing hall, visibly unhappy.
Carlsen bounced back in Round 8, with a comfortable victory against Armenian GM Shant Sargsyan in the Italian Game. In Round 9, he faced US GM Ray Robson (who had held Hans Niemann to a draw in Round 7). Carlsen was better on time and managed to secure an extra pawn in the center. Robson resisted for a while, often having less than 10 seconds on his clock, but eventually capitulated in a hopeless position.
With two straight victories, Carlsen joined the group of four players on seven points. It includes Abdusattorov, Sarana, and 2446-rated prodigy from Türkiye Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus. The 14-year-old teenager netted 3.5/4 today, defeating the likes of Joren Van Foreest and Nihal Sarin in the last two rounds.
World Champion in classical chess, Gukesh D, had an uneven performance on day two. Starting with two draws, in Round 8 he prevailed over Spain’s David Anton in a topsy-turvy game. However, in the following round he was completely dismantled by Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the King’s Indian Attack. With this defeat, Gukesh finished on 6.5 points.
Defending Rapid Champion Volodar Murzin improved his performance, but only somewhat. After three defeats and two victories on day one, Murzin made a draw and two victories in Rounds 6, 7, and 8. However, in the last round of the day, he fell as White to Vahap Sanal after trapping his queen. He is now at 50% with 4.5/9.
Seasoned heavyweight Levon Aronian, who had a great performance this year, is also one of the top players struggling in Doha. After scoring 3/5 on day one, he began the second day with two defeats. Levon bounced back with two wins and is now on 5/9.
Ian Nepomniachtchi started the day with a loss with the white pieces in the game against Maksim Chigaev. The two-time candidate for the title of World Champion in classical chess responded with two draws and a win, finishing the day on 6/9.
The Women’s Rapid
The women’s event remains extremely tight. While the Open section of the Rapid had five rounds on day one, the women’s section had four.
By the end of Round 7, defending champion Humpy Koneru emerged as the sole leader on six points, followed by eight players on 5.5. She was on six points, followed by eight players on 5.5 points. Among the chasers was Aleksandra Goryachkina, who has been very consistent in the tournament so far.
After starting the day with a game against Zhu Jiner, Goryachkina finished it with the round seven leader, Koneru. Playing against the Petrov, Goryachkina emerged clearly better from the opening but erroneously grabbed a pawn on move 24, giving the opponent sufficient counterplay. The game ended in a draw, which was enough to secure Humpy a shared first place.
Day 1 leader Zhu Jiner drew her round-five game against Goryachkina in an even endgame. Two more draws followed – against top contenders Nino Batsiashvili and Mariya Muzychuk. In the final round of the day in the Women’s event Zhu was facing World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh. Following interesting complications in the middlegame, the opponents landed in an unbalanced but roughly equal position. However, Divya’s seemingly harmless move 30…e4 turned out to be a blunder costing her the game. With this victory, Zhu scored 6.5 points and joined Koneru in the lead.
World Champion in classical chess, Ju Wenjun, suffered a major setback at the start of the day. Playing as Black against Georgia’s Meri Arabidze, she ended in a lost rook endgame, which her opponent converted seamlessly. The Chinese player then recovered with victories in the following two games. In the final round of the day, Ju played as White against Bat-Erdene Mungunzul, a 300-point lower-rated player from Mongolia. In the Pirc, Ju achieved a winning position at some point but misplayed in time trouble and eventually lost. With 4.5/8, Ju is far off the top.
Sunday will be the third and final day of the 2025 FIDE World Rapid. With four more rounds in the Open and three in the Women’s tournament, there is space for much to change in the rankings.
Written by Milan Dinic
Photos: Anna Shtourman and Lennart Ootes
Where to follow: The action can be followed live on the FIDE YouTube Channel, featuring expert commentary by GMs Maurice Ashley, Peter Leko and IM Jovanka Houska.
About the event: The FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championships 2025 are taking 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 over €1,000,000. Doha returns as host after nine years, underscoring Qatar’s growing stature in the chess world.
