Alireza Firouzja won the Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia in Zagreb after overcoming Nodirbek Abdusattorov in a final playoff decided by Armageddon. The French grandmaster entered the last day with a three-point lead, lost first place during the second half of the blitz and eventually finished tied at the top on 23.5 points before securing the title with the black pieces in the decisive game.
A Much More Dramatic Finish Than Expected
The conclusion of the Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia was far tighter than the standings had suggested before the final day. Firouzja had built a significant advantage during the tournament and went into the last session with a three-point margin, strengthened by an impressive 8 out of 9 in the first half of the blitz.
The second blitz cycle, however, completely changed the tone of the event. The leader scored an uneven 2 out of 7, enough to put in danger a position that had previously looked very solid. In a combined rapid and blitz tournament, where every point can quickly reshape the standings, that drop opened the door to an unexpected comeback.
Abdusattorov seized the moment with a highly consistent performance. The Uzbek grandmaster finished the final blitz day unbeaten with 6.5 points out of 9, combining good practical decisions, precision in critical moments and a strong ability to convert his chances. His surge not only allowed him to catch Firouzja, but also to move briefly ahead in the standings.
The fight for the title therefore became a direct contest between two players arriving at the final stretch with very different momentum. Firouzja had controlled much of the event, but suddenly needed to rebuild his position under pressure. Abdusattorov, by contrast, had found his strongest form when the margin for error was almost gone.
The Day Turns Complicated From the Start
The change in momentum came from the very first round of the day. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave defeated Firouzja in a Sicilian Najdorf, while Abdusattorov beat Gukesh Dommaraju from an endgame that should have been balanced. That combination of results narrowed the gap and turned the final day into an open fight for the title.
Firouzja also suffered defeats against Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Jorden van Foreest. The loss to Van Foreest was especially delicate, as it came in round 16 of the blitz, just after Abdusattorov had caught him in the standings. With that result, the Uzbek player moved half a point ahead with only two rounds remaining.
The tournament then entered a phase of maximum tension. Firouzja, who had dominated much of the event, was forced to respond at the most demanding stage. Abdusattorov, meanwhile, was gathering momentum, playing with greater confidence and facing the real possibility of completing a major comeback.
What had seemed for several days like a relatively controlled path toward victory for Firouzja suddenly became a fight decided by small margins. The accumulated rapid and blitz score left both contenders separated by details, with every move in the final rounds carrying direct consequences for the title race.
Firouzja Survives Against Gukesh at the Key Moment
The penultimate round became the decisive turning point. Firouzja faced Gukesh, who had arrived after three consecutive wins and obtained a winning position against the leader for much of the game. A defeat for the Frenchman would have completely changed the scenario before the final round and could have left Abdusattorov in a commanding position.
But Firouzja managed to hold on. He first escaped the greatest dangers and then took advantage of his opponent’s inaccuracies to turn the game in his favor. That victory carried enormous value, as it allowed him to reach the final round tied with Abdusattorov instead of being forced to win just to stay alive in the title race.
The game against Gukesh reflected one of the keys to Firouzja’s tournament. Even during an irregular day, he retained the ability to find resources in difficult positions and change the direction of a game when his opponent failed to finish the job. In rapid and blitz chess, that practical resilience often becomes as important as opening preparation or technical precision.
The win also restored part of the control he had lost earlier in the day. After several setbacks, Firouzja reached the final round with the tournament still in his own hands, setting up a direct clash against the player who had completed the comeback.
The Direct Clash Sends the Tournament to a Playoff
The final round brought Firouzja and Abdusattorov face to face. The Frenchman had the white pieces in a game that functioned as a final within the tournament itself: both players were tied, the title was at stake and five days of intense competition had come down to one direct encounter.
Firouzja was better at one point, but he was unable to convert his advantage. The game ended in a draw, leaving both players tied for first place on 23.5 points. Abdusattorov would have shared the maximum Grand Chess Tour points allocation with Firouzja, although he was playing in Croatia as a wildcard.
The tie forced a playoff for the title. First came two tiebreak games at 8 minutes plus a 3-second increment. Both ended in draws, although Firouzja created the clearest imbalance in the first game with an exchange sacrifice that did not become a decisive advantage.
Those two drawn games kept the tension intact. Neither player managed to break through, and the title had to be decided by the most demanding format of all: a single Armageddon game, with asymmetric conditions and no room left for recovery.
Armageddon Crowns Firouzja
With the tie still unbroken, the champion was decided in Armageddon. Firouzja played with black and needed only a draw to win the tournament, while Abdusattorov received an extra minute on the clock and had to win.
The Uzbek player built a significant time advantage and had chances to increase the pressure, but he did not find a decisive continuation. The game turned into a battle shaped by the clock, with Abdusattorov trying to push Firouzja into a critical situation and force a final mistake.
The Frenchman stayed calm at the most delicate moment. His experience in very fast time controls and his ability to handle positions under pressure allowed him to hold the game to a draw. That result gave him the Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia title and concluded a final day full of swings.
Firouzja’s victory was therefore not only the result of his dominant earlier performance, but also of his ability to survive when the tournament turned against him. After losing the lead and being caught by Abdusattorov, he found the necessary points in the final rounds and held firm in the playoff.
The Upper Standings Finish Tightly Packed
Behind the top two, Praggnanandhaa and Vachier-Lagrave shared third place, 1.5 points behind the leaders. The Indian grandmaster caught MVL after scoring 6 out of 9 on the final day, including a win in the penultimate round against the Frenchman from a lost position.
Vincent Keymer recorded the best score of the final blitz day with 7 out of 9, although his comeback was only enough to finish fifth overall. Gukesh ended sixth with 18.5 points, followed by Anish Giri, Bogdan-Daniel Deac, Jorden van Foreest and Ivan Saric.
The final table reflected how much the last day changed the shape of the event. Firouzja had entered with a strong lead, Abdusattorov produced the main comeback, and several players in the chasing group also reshuffled the upper standings with powerful blitz performances.
The victory puts Firouzja back in contention for a place in the Grand Chess Tour Finals. After his triumph in Zagreb, the Frenchman stands third in the overall standings, behind Fabiano Caruana and Vincent Keymer, although he has played one more event than the top two.
