The 2025 World Rapid and Blitz Championship in Doha witnessed a dramatic turnaround on Saturday, as India's Koneru Humpy stormed back into contention to defend her Women's World Rapid crown. After a subdued start, the reigning champion finished Day 2 as the joint leader. In the fiercely competitive Open section, D. Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi emerged as the highest-ranked Indians after eight rounds of intense play.
Humpy's Remarkable Comeback to the Top
Starting the day far from the top spots, Koneru Humpy showcased why she is the defending champion in the rapid format. Placed 37th after Round 3 and 30th after Round 4 on Friday, she ignited a spectacular winning streak. The momentum began with a victory over Ukraine's Nataliya Buksa in the fourth round, which she carried into Saturday's play.
Humpy secured three consecutive wins on Day 2, making it four in a row overall. She first overcame Mongolia's Bat-Erdene Mungunzul, capitalizing on a late-game blunder. She then dismantled Russia's Yana Zhapova in just 37 moves with the black pieces. A 31-move triumph over Sara Khadem propelled her into the sole lead. Her final match of the day against Russia's Aleksandra Goryachkina ended in a draw, allowing China's Zhu Jiner to catch up. Both players now share the lead with 6.5 points.
Open Section: Artemiev's Giant-Killing Spree
The Open section was headlined by Russia's Vladislav Artemiev, who produced stunning upsets. Starting as one of five co-leaders, Artemiev delivered two massive blows on Day 2. He first defeated India's Arjun Erigaisi in a tense sixth-round encounter, swindling a win despite being down on the clock. He then achieved the day's biggest result by toppling the legendary Magnus Carlsen.
Artemiev's charge was later halted by draws against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alexey Sarana. This allowed USA's Hans Niemann to join him at the summit with 7.5 points, setting up a thrilling finale.
Indian Contingent's Mixed Fortunes in Open
India's World Classical Champion, D. Gukesh, showed flashes of brilliance. Victories over Sina Movahed and David Anton kept him in the hunt for the top spot for much of the day. However, a last-round defeat to his arch-rival, Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov, saw him drop to 11th place with 6.5 points.
Arjun Erigaisi demonstrated resilience after his loss to Artemiev. He bounced back to defeat compatriot SL Narayanan, finishing the day with 6.5 points as well. The duo are now the highest-ranked Indian players in the Open standings after two days of action.
With four more rounds scheduled for Day 3 on Sunday in both the Open and Women's sections, all eyes will be on Koneru Humpy as she aims to clinch back-to-back world rapid titles, while Gukesh and Arjun will look to climb the leaderboard in a star-studded field.
