Making a memorable debut at the Grand Chess Tour, Indian Grandmaster Aravindh Chithambaram put up a strong show on the second day of the Superbet Rapid and Blitz tournament in Warsaw, Poland.

Chithambaram scored a significant victory over former World Champion Veselin Topalov and drew his other two games, moving up to sole third place in the standings.

After six rounds, Chithambaram has accumulated seven points. France’s Alireza Firouzja and Russia’s Vladimir Fedoseev currently share the top spot with eight points each.

Three players — Levon Aronian (USA), Deac Bogdan-Daniel (Romania), and Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland) — are tied for fourth on six points apiece, while India’s R Praggnanandhaa, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France), and David Gavrilescu (Romania) trail further behind with five points each. Topalov finds himself at the bottom of the standings with four points, as the rapid section enters its final three rounds.

Chithambaram’s victory over Topalov was particularly notable. Playing with the black pieces, the Indian executed a brilliant endgame, forcing Topalov into a zugzwang — a position where any move would only worsen the situation. Analysts have already tipped this encounter to feature in future chess literature for its masterful finish.

Meanwhile, R Praggnanandhaa endured a tough outing. He missed a straightforward draw against Alireza Firouzja in the day’s opening game, opting for an aggressive continuation that backfired. His only point of the day came from a draw against Levon Aronian, before suffering a defeat to Topalov in the final round.

As the tournament nears the end of the rapid format, Aravindh Chithambaram remains firmly in contention, while Praggnanandhaa will look to regroup before the blitz section begins.

Standings after Round 6:

1-2: Alireza Firouzja (FRA), Vladimir Fedoseev (RUS) — 8 points each

3: Aravindh Chithambaram (Ind) – 7 Points

4-6: Levon Aronian (USA), Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Pol), Deac Bogdan-Daniel (Rou)-6 Points Each

7-9: David Gavrilescu (Rou), R Pragrier-Lage (É) – 5 Pues Each

10: Veselin Topalov (Bul) – 4 Points