Alireza Firouzja of France solidified his position as the leader of the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz chess tournament after a strong performance in the first day of the blitz section. Firouzja capitalized on his opportunities, scoring enough points to extend his lead to 1.5 points over Wesley So of the United States. So, in turn, had a remarkable day, winning six out of nine games to move into second place.
Despite a couple of impressive victories, including wins against pre-event favorites Ian Nepomniachtchi and Hikaru Nakamura of Russia, R. Praggnanandhaa of India remained in last place. He was unable to maintain his momentum and lost the remaining six games of the blitz section, leaving him with only 6.5 points heading into the final day.
The other leader, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France, slipped to fourth place after scoring 15.5 points, half a point ahead of Levon Aronian, who is now playing under the American flag. Nakamura, who was initially considered a favorite in the blitz section, is in sixth place with 13.5 points, ahead of Fabiano Caruana with 13 points. American Lenier Dominguez currently sits in eighth place with 12 points, followed by Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan who has 10 points.
Firouzja is poised to claim the championship title with a 1.5 point lead. If he wins, he could overtake Caruana as the tour leader with only one event remaining – the Sinquefield Cup, which is set to begin on August 18.
Here are the standings after the first day of blitz:
1. Alireza Firouzja (Fra) 17.5
2-3. Ian Nepomniachtchi (FID), Wesley So (Usa) 16 each
4. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra) 15.5 points
5. Levon Aronian (Arm) 15
6. Hikaru Nakamura (Usa) 13.5
7. Fabiano Caruana (Usa) 13
8. Lenier Dominguez (Usa) 12
9. Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb) 10
10. R Praggnanandhaa (Ind) 6.5
