US Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana Dominates SuperUnited Croatia Rapid & Blitz
Caruana Wins $40,000 First Prize and Takes Commanding Lead in Grand Chess Tour
ZAGREB, CROATIA AND SAINT LOUIS, MO. (July 17, 2024) – In an impressive performance, Grandmaster (GM) Fabiano Caruana from the United States won the 2024 SuperUnited Croatia Rapid & Blitz, taking a clear lead in the 2024 Grand Chess Tour standings.
Following his recent win in the 2024 Superbet Chess Classic Romania, GM Caruana dominated the field in Zagreb – securing the win with five rounds to spare. He also matched GM Magnus Carlsen’s record from 2019 of the most points earned in a Grand Chess Tour rapid and blitz event.
“I had quite a bit of luck but I was very happy with my play as well. The last day was mostly about chasing Magnus’ record but I realized it’s very hard to collect points when everyone is trying to beat you.” said Caruana. “I would like to thank all of the organizers and sponsors for making this possible. It is always a pleasure to be in Zagreb and thank you to Prime Minister Andrej Plenković for supporting chess. I was also very happy to see all of the fans coming to watch.”
Finishing in a three way tie for second place were GMs Wesley So from the United States, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja, both from France. Each player won $25,000 in prize money.
“SuperUnited Croatia Rapid & Blitz was a very exciting event and concluded our European legs with an exciting performance by Fabiano, who won his second leg in a row and is the current Grand Chess Tour leader,” said Michael Khodarkovsky, GCT Executive Director. “We all hope to come back to Zagreb next year as it will be the 10th anniversary of the Grand Chess Tour. Thank you Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and SuperUnited for your continued support.”
2024 SuperUnited Croatia Rapid & Blitz
| POSITION | PLAYER | COUNTRY | PRIZE MONEY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fabiano Caruana | USA | $40,000 |
| T-2 | Wesley So | USA | $25,000 |
| T-2 | Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | France | $25,000 |
| T-2 | Alireza Firouzja | France | $25,000 |
| 5 | Ian Nepomniachtchi | FIDE | $15,000 |
| 6 | Levon Aronian | USA | $11,000 |
| 7 | Gukesh Dommaraju | India | $10,000 |
| 8 | Anish Giri | Netherlands | $9,000 |
| 9 | Vidit Gujrathi | India | $8,000 |
| 10 | Ivan Saric | Croatia | $7,000 |
“We were thrilled to once again host the world’s top chess players in Croatia. Congratulations to Mr. Caruana for his well-deserved championship victory, and we are grateful to all our partners and sponsors for supporting this memorable event,” said Marin Marušić, Chairman of the SuperUnited Croatia GCT Organizing Committee.
Augusta Dragic, President of the Superbet Foundation also shared: “The Superbet Foundation was pleased to co-host the Grand Chess Tour SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz in Croatia, preceded by the stage in Warsaw – Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland and the one in Bucharest, Superbet Classic Chess Romania – organized since 2019. Congratulations to Mr. Caruana on his outstanding victory and a big thank you to all the players for an unforgettable and thrilling five days. As every year, all ticket proceeds will be donated to local communities who need it the most.”
Up next, GCT heads to the United States for the final two events: Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz (August 11-16, 2024) and the Sinquefield Cup (August 18-29, 2024), both sponsored and organized by the Saint Louis Chess Club.
For more information, visit grandchesstour.org.
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About the Grand Chess Tour
The Grand Chess Tour is a circuit of international events, each demonstrating the highest level of organization for the world’s best players. The legendary Garry Kasparov, one of the world’s greatest ambassadors for chess, inspired the Grand Chess Tour and helped solidify the partnership between the organizers. For more information about the tour, please visit grandchesstour.org.
About the Superbet Foundation
Since 2019, Superbet Foundation has made chess one of its core initiatives by organizing the first tournament of the Grand Chess Tour in Bucharest. The Foundation is committed to establishing a tradition of Grand Chess Tour tournaments within the Romanian and Polish chess communities. For more information, visit www.superbetfoundation.com.
About the Saint Louis Chess Club
The Saint Louis Chess Club is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons and special lectures.
Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Saint Louis Chess Club is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit saintlouischessclub.org.
