In a thrilling conclusion to the seventh Vugar Gashimov Memorial, GM Fabiano Caruana defeated GM Richard Rapport in an Armageddon tie-break to win the event. The tournament, which combined rapid and blitz games, ended with both players tied at 24 points. The dramatic nature of the win drew comparisons to Max Verstappen’s first F1 world title, where he defied the odds to beat Lewis Hamilton in the closing moments of the season.
Entering the final round tied for the lead, Richard Rapport gained an immediate advantage by deploying an aggressive King’s Indian setup against GM David Navara. Rapport's superior technique in the endgame allowed him to pull away, leaving Caruana trailing in the standings.
As Rapport pulled ahead, Caruana's situation grew dire, especially while playing Black against GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. Victory seemed certain for Rapport, but the tide turned when Mamedyarov made a critical error, possibly due to a momentary distraction. This blunder gave the American GM a lifeline, allowing Caruana to win a game that looked lost. He followed this with a strong blitz performance, racking up 22 points.
Similar to a safety car intervention in racing, this turn of events allowed the American prodigy to draw level with Rapport after 14 rounds. The tension peaked during the Armageddon game, the final 'lap' to determine the champion. Sticking with the racing analogy, Caruana's mental resilience acted like a fresh set of tires; he dominated the game with the white pieces and secured the title on demand.
The tournament also led to interesting shifts in the speed chess rankings. GM Richard Rapport climbed to 5th in the world rapid rankings after gaining 48 points, while GM Caruana now holds the 9th position.
It was a tough outing for Indian legend Viswanathan Anand, who finished at the bottom of the standings. Across seven rapid and fourteen blitz rounds, Anand managed only two wins for a total of nine points. His lone victory in the blitz stage came in a grueling 70-move battle against David Navara during the tenth round.
In the rapid portion, Anand's only success was a win over Shakhriyar Mamedyarov in round six. The former World Champion also faced two setbacks, losing games to both the eventual winner, Caruana, and Hungary's Richard Rapport.