Caruana and Niemann lead groups as Assaubayeva scores first 2700+ win

Fabiano Caruana and Hans Niemann posted back-to-back wins on Thursday at the Total Chess Pilot in Budapest, each defeating a member of the Rameshbabu family. Caruana's victories over Praggnanandhaa moved him to the top of Group B with 10 points, the highest score among all 24 participants under the tournament's football-style scoring system. Niemann's two wins against Vaishali Rameshbabu placed him level with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave at 8 points, sharing first place in Group D.

In Group A, Alireza Firouzja leads with 8 points after a win and a draw on the second day. Group C remains tightly contested, with Ian Nepomniachtchi and Haik Martirosyan tied at 6 points, while Magnus Carlsen sits fifth with four draws and 4 points, two points behind the group leaders.

The most notable upset came from Bibisara Assaubayeva, who defeated 2746-rated Arjun Erigaisi with the black pieces, marking her first career win against a player rated above 2700. Although Erigaisi won the return game, Assaubayeva's victory earned her 11.4 rating points and lifted her to fourth place in the women's live rankings. She and Erigaisi now share third place in Group D with 5 points each.

"It's pretty clear I found my worst chess format," said the U.S. representative reflecting on his results.

The tournament continues with group leaders vying for knockout stage qualification.