Alireza Firouzja, the 23-year-old Iran-born French grandmaster, won the St Louis-organised Croatia Super Rapid and Blitz in Zagreb, holding on despite a disappointing final day where he scored only 2/7 before winning an Armageddon tie-break. Firouzja is currently ranked world No 12, a disappointment for a player who became the youngest ever to reach a 2800 rating at 18 years and five months.
Firouzja's career struggles and new opportunities
Firouzja's career has been hampered by below-par performances in the Candidates tournament. In 2022, he spoiled his chances by playing blitz into the small hours; in 2024, he finished seventh out of eight. He made a major effort to qualify again in 2025, hiring the late Daniel Naroditsky as his coach for the Grand Swiss in Samarkand, but finished third when only two qualified. At the victory ceremony, the bronze medal podium was conspicuously uninhabited.
However, a new incentive has emerged. The Norway-organised Total World Championship will include fast classical (45 minutes), rapid and blitz sections. A pilot event is scheduled for October 2026, followed by a full tour in 2027. This format should significantly improve Firouzja's chances of a global crown.
Sindarov and Carlsen milestones
Meanwhile, Javokhir Sindarov, who won the 2026 Candidates, has reaffirmed his status as the outstanding player of his generation by winning the rapid and blitz tournaments at the Naroditsky Memorial in Charlotte over the Independence Day weekend.
Magnus Carlsen reached another milestone as the Norwegian grandmaster, 35, completed an unbroken 15 years as world No 1 in Fide's official monthly ratings. Carlsen's recent subpar result in Oslo, where he finished fourth out of six, made hardly a dent in his lead of more than 30 rating points over Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura.
Carlsen's reign and the greatest debate
Carlsen's continuous No 1 status owes something to good fortune. During his 2018 world title match against Caruana, which was tied 6-6 with every classical game drawn before Carlsen won on speed tie-breaks, Carlsen had some inferior positions. In the sixth game, Caruana actually had a forced checkmate on the board, although it was in 58 moves and impossibly difficult for a human to visualise.
After surpassing Garry Kasparov's peak rating of 2851, Carlsen attempted to reach a new peak of 2900 on three occasions, only to be thwarted by its inherent difficulty. His closest approach was in the first half of 2019. However, Kasparov's own claims cannot be dismissed. He was world No 1 continuously from 1986 to 2006, albeit with a tie in 1996 when Vladimir Kramnik had the same rating but had played more games. Kasparov faced stronger opposition, playing five epic title matches against Anatoly Karpov when Karpov was at his peak.
It is rare for both contestants in world championships to be at or near their peak form. José Capablanca v Alexander Alekhine in 1927 and Mikhail Botvinnik v Vasily Smyslov are examples. All five Kasparov v Karpov matches were of high quality, whereas only the Caruana series was of similar calibre for Carlsen. The debate about the greatest player will likely continue, even if Carlsen equals Kasparov's 20 years at the top in 2031.
Obituary and ChessFest reminder
Jimmy Adams, editor of Chess magazine for nearly 20 years and author of acclaimed biographies of Johannes Zukertort, Mikhail Chigorin, Gyula Breyer, Paul Keres, Salo Flohr and Isaac Boleslavsky, has died aged 79. An obituary by his friend Sarah Hurst has been published in Other Lives.
ChessFest in Trafalgar Square, a free festival of British chess for all levels, takes place on Sunday 12 July from noon to 7pm. England's top players and prodigies will be present.
