In a stunning display of resilience and skill, Magnus Carlsen has cemented his legendary status by winning both the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Doha, Qatar. The Norwegian world number one secured the 19th and 20th world titles of his illustrious career over the weekend, overcoming a series of dramatic setbacks to achieve the remarkable double.
A Weekend of Highs and Lows in Doha
The 35-year-old's path to victory was anything but smooth. During the World Rapid Championship, Carlsen suffered a significant blunder, losing a rook for a bishop against Russia's Vladislav Artemiev. His frustrations briefly spilled over outside the playing hall, where he was involved in a minor altercation with a photographer. Despite this, his peerless endgame technique proved decisive. He won a critical knight ending with Black against Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov from a position most top grandmasters would have drawn.
The final standings for the Rapid event saw Carlsen finish on 10.5 points from 13 games. Vladislav Artemiev (Russia) and India's Arjun Erigaisi tied for second place with 9.5 points each, earning silver and bronze medals respectively. The time control was 15 minutes per player plus a 10-second increment per move, with a first prize of €70,000.
Blitz Drama and a Fightback for the Ages
The World Blitz Championship provided even more heart-stopping drama. Carlsen's campaign was nearly derailed by a catalogue of errors. He blundered a rook against Fabiano Caruana, lost on time to Erigaisi after fumbling a piece, and faced disaster in round 14. Against Haik Martirosyan, he knocked several pieces over and was adjudged to have forfeited on time before he could reset the board.
Facing elimination, the champion staged an incredible comeback. Needing four wins and a draw from his remaining games to qualify for the knockout stage, he remained steadfast in his strategy of steering games into complex endgames. He succeeded, eventually defeating Nodirbek Abdusattorov 2.5-1.5 in the final match to claim his ninth world blitz title and another €70,000 prize. The blitz format featured 19 rounds of three-minute games with a two-second increment.
Women's Titles and a British-Based Prodigy
In the women's events, Russia's Aleksandra Goryachkina won the World Rapid title after a tie-break with China's Zhu Jiner. The World Women's Blitz crown was taken by Kazakhstan's Bibisara Assaubayeva, who beat Ukraine's Anna Muzychuk 2.5-1.5. At just 21, this was Assaubayeva's third world blitz title.
While no British players competed in the main events, a young talent with strong English connections made a significant impact. Talab Rami, the 10-year-old Cornwall champion who represents Syria internationally, scored impressively. He achieved a performance rating (TPR) of 2325 in the Rapid and an even higher 2350 TPR in the Blitz, defeating several International Masters and Grandmasters. This continues his strong form shown at the Coventry international and marks him as one of England's top junior prospects after GM Shreyas Royal.
At the closing press conference, Carlsen reflected on his victories, stating that the 2016 match against Sergey Karjakin remained the hardest of his 20 world title triumphs. He also indicated plans to play two or three classical events in 2026, likely including Norway Chess, the Olympiad in Uzbekistan, and a tournament in St Louis.
