Reigning champion Koneru Humpy stayed firmly in contention at the FIDE World Rapid Chess Championships in Doha on Saturday, sharing the lead in the women’s section, while D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi remained well placed in the open category as Magnus Carlsen suffered a rare defeat on Day 2.
With three rounds remaining in the women’s event, Humpy was tied at the top on 6.5 points with China’s Zhu Jiner. Ten players, including India’s Dronavalli Harika, were close behind on six points, underlining the tight contest heading into the final day.
Humpy briefly emerged as the sole leader after defeating Sara Khadem in Round 7 to move to six points. She then drew with Aleksandra Goryachkina in the next round, while Zhu Jiner’s victory over India’s World Cup champion Divya Deshmukh brought the Chinese player level with the Indian at the summit.
In the open section, Gukesh and Erigaisi were part of a crowded chasing group on 6.5 points after nine rounds, just one point behind joint leaders Vladislav Artemiev and Hans Niemann, who led on 7.5.
Gukesh showed resilience despite admitting before the tournament that expectations were modest. After drawing his opening games against Anish Giri and Alexey Sarana, he defeated Spain’s David Anton in a tense eighth-round encounter before suffering his only loss so far, against Nodirbek Abdusattorov, in a King’s Indian Attack.
Also read: Erigaisi, Gukesh share lead with Carlsen in Doha
Erigaisi, meanwhile, endured a setback against Artemiev, who recovered from a lost position to defeat the Indian while playing much of the game on increment.
Artemiev emerged as one of the standout performers of the day, inflicting a shock defeat on world No. 1 Carlsen in Round 7. The Norwegian made a costly error on move 15 and surrendered on move 30, a loss that visibly unsettled the five-time world rapid champion.
“I am pleased with my performance, and everything is feeling good,” Artemiev told FIDE.
Carlsen, who began Day 2 with 4.5 points, struggled initially, drawing with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave after finding himself saddled with tripled pawns in a Sicilian Defence. The defeat to Artemiev marked a low point, after which the Norwegian left the playing hall clearly frustrated.
The world No. 1 recovered with wins over Shant Sargsyan and Ray Robson to finish the day on seven points, joining a group that also included Sarana, Yagiz Erdogmus and Abdusattorov.
Sunday marks the final day of the World Rapid Championships, with four rounds remaining in the open section and three in the women’s event, as Indian players look to convert strong positions into podium finishes.
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