Alireza Firouzja won the Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia 2026, the third stop of the Grand Chess Tour, after the first Armageddon finish in GCT history. The event ran July 1-5 in Zagreb.
Firouzja built a commanding three-point lead heading into the final day, but then lost a string of blitz games — he described it as the worst blitz day of his life — as wildcard Nodirbek Abdusattorov mounted a furious comeback to force a tiebreak. After two rapid playoff games produced no winner, Firouzja prevailed in the decisive Armageddon game.
The victory earned the French star $47,500, while Abdusattorov took $42,500 for second place. It was the first Grand Chess Tour title ever decided by an Armageddon tiebreak.
Source: FIDE