The opening day of the 2025 FIDE World Rapid Championship in Doha concluded with a five-way tie for the lead, as Indian stars D. Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi joined Magnus Carlsen at the top of the standings. Alongside Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Vladislav Artemiev, the trio finished the first five rounds with 4.5 points.
While Carlsen appeared to be on a flawless run with four consecutive wins, he was held to a draw in the final round of the day by Erigaisi, denying the world No. 1 a perfect score.
The highlight of the day was the 101-move marathon between Erigaisi and Carlsen. Known for his aggressive "mad man" style, Erigaisi shifted to a disciplined defensive masterclass to survive a theoretically drawn but precarious rook-and-pawn endgame. Despite Carlsen being two pawns up and pushing for a win until the very end, Erigaisi’s 98 percent accuracy forced the Norwegian to settle for a draw.
Carlsen had previously described Erigaisi as wanting to "kill you in every single game," but in Doha, the Indian GM proved he could also summon a "defensive shield" to halt the world's highest-rated player.
Reigning classical world champion D. Gukesh also surged into the lead following an initial setback. After starting the tournament with a draw against Canada’s Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux, the teenager rattled off four straight victories against Sergey Drygalov, Nikita Petrov, Alan Pichot, and Sina Movahed.
The performance suggests Gukesh has addressed previous weaknesses in shorter time controls; though classical chess remains his forte, his recent results in Croatia and Doha indicate he is now a major threat in the rapid format.
While the leaders thrived, other top contenders struggled to find their rhythm. Defending champion Volodar Murzin of Russia saw his chances of retaining the crown slip after finishing the day on just two points, suffering three losses in five games.
India’s R. Praggnanandhaa also had a disappointing start; despite a first-round win, a loss to the lower-rated Levan Pantsulaia left him off the pace. Meanwhile, veteran Vasyl Ivanchuk sits on three points, having drawn four of his five encounters after an opening win.
The standings remain incredibly tight heading into the second day, with a massive chasing pack of 15 players just half a point behind the leaders. This group includes established stars like Anish Giri and Hans Niemann, as well as Indian GMs Nihal Sarin and Sandipan Chanda.
With the rapid portion of the event crossing the halfway mark, the battle for the title remains wide open, though the form of Gukesh and Erigaisi has positioned India as the dominant force to watch in Doha.