Norway’s Magnus Carlsen wins the World Blitz Championship in Doha, securing his 20th world title after a recent rapid chess victory.
DOHA: Norway’s Magnus Carlsen secured his 20th world chess title by winning the World Blitz Championship. The world number one defeated Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the final.
Carlsen, 35, clinched victory with the black pieces in the fourth and final game after losing the opener. This triumph came just days after he won the World Rapid Championship.
Blitz games are played with three minutes per player plus a two-second increment per move. Carlsen nearly missed the semi-finals after three defeats in the 19 qualifying games.
He finished third in the preliminary standings before beating American Fabiano Caruana in the semis. His final opponent, Abdusattorov, was the rapid world champion in 2021.
On Sunday, Carlsen was crowned rapid world champion where players have 15 minutes plus a 10-second increment. He finished first in the regular standings without a final phase.
The Nordic grandmaster now holds nine blitz titles, six rapid titles, and five in the classical format. He relinquished his classical world championship crown in 2023.
That title is now held by India’s Dommaraju Gukesh. Carlsen cited a lack of motivation for stepping away from the longer format.
In October, he and the International Chess Federation backed a new world championship format. The “Total Chess World Championship Tour” will crown one combined champion for three disciplines.
The new tour will consist of four events per year covering fast classic, rapid, and blitz chess. A pilot version will be tested next autumn, with the first full season set for 2027.
