Firouzja crossed 2900 in blitz after winning the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz
Alireza Firouzja dominated the St. Louis Rapid & Blitz tournament, winning his first ever Grand Chess Tour event with four rounds to spare (!) and surpassing 2900 blitz rating points, only 6 points away from Hikaru Nakamura.
Alireza Firouzja came like a storm at the St. Louis Rapid & Blitz tournament. The teenage sensation lost only one of his 18 games, and was undefeated in the blitz to hit the third best overall score in the Grand Chess Tour history.
The 19-year-old Iranian-French GM revealed in an interview by Christian Chirila that he had promised himself that if he would come to St Louis, he would win his first tournament! Carlsen’s favorite for the Championship match not only won the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz but gained more than 107 blitz rating points passing 2900 and ranking 2nd after Nakamura, made the highest ever overall blitz score in a Grand Chess Tour event, and became the youngest player to win a Grand Chess Tour event!
For Firouzja, the result was huge after a poor performance in the Candidates in June, where he ended 6th among the eight participants. “For now this is more important for me than the Grand Swiss. The cycle of the Candidates is not the ideal base. This means a lot to me, maybe even more than the Grand Swiss.” Firouzja commented on his win.
The St. Louis legend Hikaru Nakamura was blatantly disappointed after losing two games in a row and finishing 2nd, five full points behind Firouzja. “I am disappointed. I didn’t show up for three days. With the way Alireza played throughout the tournament, he is a very deserving winner,” Nakamura said.
