Team MGD1, Chessgurukul Keep Indian Hopes Alive As World Team Blitz Enters Knockouts

After the drama of the rapid section, the FIDE World Team Blitz Championship moved into a faster, harsher format on Saturday, and Indian teams remained firmly in the story. Arjun Erigaisi’s Team MGD1 and R Praggnanandhaa’s Chessgurukul both advanced from the pool stage and then crossed the Round of 16, keeping India well represented as the event moved into the knockout rounds.

Unlike the rapid championship, which was played as a Swiss event, the blitz competition began with four pools before shifting into knockouts. Team MGD1 finished third in Pool C behind Hexamind and Uzbekistan , while Chessgurukul also placed third in Pool B behind Endgame.AI and rapid champions Dragon Chilling . Both Indian sides then produced strong elimination-round performances.

MGD1 defeated KazChess in the Round of 16, winning the two-match duel 5-1 and 3.5-2.5. One of the day’s most talked-about games came from Arjun Erigaisi , who fought through a marathon game against Alexander Grischuk . The game reportedly stretched to around 130 moves and was briefly halted when Grischuk sought a draw under the 50-move rule, claiming that no pawn move or capture had occurred for the required duration. After the check, play continued and Arjun eventually converted, underlining the grit that has marked MGD1’s campaign across both rapid and blitz.

Chessgurukul’s progress was just as significant. The team eliminated Chess United , the side led by Indian legend Viswanathan Anand , with dominant 4-2 and 5-1 wins. For Indian chess followers, it was a symbolic result: the new generation, led by Pragg, advancing past a team featuring the country’s greatest chess icon.

Pragg’s form deserves special mention. After becoming the first Indian to win Norway Chess , he carried that confidence into Hong Kong, winning individual gold in the rapid section and again producing a superb blitz performance. He won six of the 10 blitz games he played, losing only the final one. Like Magnus Carlsen , who also lost after an otherwise strong blitz run, Pragg may simply have reached the point of exhaustion after a demanding day of 3+2 chess.

Carlsen’s tournament had its own dramatic turnaround. After losing four rapid games in a row, including defeats to Arjun Erigaisi , Shant Sargsyan , Javokhir Sindarov and Aydin Suleymanli , the world No. 1 found his rhythm in blitz. He began with eight straight wins for WR Chess , before losing his ninth game to Xu Xiangyu as WR Chess were held 3-3 by Schnappi Krokodil. Still, WR Chess topped Pool A and advanced, showing the depth of a team packed with elite names.

Fans also got a marquee nostalgia clash between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen in blitz, with Carlsen winning that encounter. For a tournament featuring Carlsen, Anand, Fabiano Caruana , Levon Aronian , Ding Liren , Wesley So , Alireza Firouzja , Anish Giri , Vasyl Ivanchuk , Hans Niemann , Arjun, Pragg and several other stars, the opening blitz day was a feast of high-level games.

At the end of the first blitz day, eight teams remained in contention: WR Chess, Uzbekistan, Chessgurukul, Hexamind, Team MGD1, Endgame.AI, Dragon Chilling and Mr Birdie and Friends . Dragon Chilling, who had won the rapid title on tiebreaks ahead of MGD1 and Hexamind, stayed alive in the blitz as well, while Mr Birdie and Friends continued their remarkable run after a perfect pool-stage score.

The knockout stage now decides the blitz crown, with Team MGD1 and Chessgurukul carrying India’s strongest hopes. After Arjun’s queen sacrifice against Carlsen in rapid, Pragg’s win over Arjun, MGD1’s silver on tiebreaks and now both Indian teams reaching the blitz knockouts, Hong Kong has already become another showcase of India’s growing strength in elite chess.