Carlsen wins GCT 2025 Zagreb; Gukesh finishes third, Praggnanandhaa ends in ninth

World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway emerged as the winner of the Grand Chess Tour 2025 Rapid & Blitz in Zagreb while reigning world champion D. Gukesh finished third in the standings.

Carlsen defeated local player Ivan Saric in the final match in blitz to top the overall standings with 22.5 points to take his sixth straight GCT R&B win.

After clinching 10 points in the rapid stage, Carlsen was at his dominant best, bagging 12.5 points after 18 rounds of blitz to win the title with a 2.5 lead over Wesley So.

Meanwhile, Gukesh got off to a rough start in the blitz section despite finishing on top after the rapid rounds. Out of the 18 rounds in blitz, Gukesh managed to win just 5.5 points.

In the final game, he drew with compatriot R. Praggnanandhaa to finish with a total of 19.5 points — the only other Indian in the fray finished a lowly ninth with 15 points.

Grand Chess Tour Rapid & Blitz 2025 Zagreb Top 3

Magnus Carlsen (Norway) – 22.5 points

Wesley So (USA) – 20 points

D Gukesh (India) – 19.5 points