Magnus Carlsen triumphs in World Blitz final to secure 20th World Title

Magnus Carlsen claimed his ninth World Blitz title in Doha, adding it to the Rapid Crown he won earlier this week

Magnus Carlsen secured his ninth World Blitz Championship title on Tuesday, completing a rapid and blitz double in Doha just two days after winning the world rapid title.

The Norwegian world number one defeated Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov 2½–1½ in the final to underline his continued dominance in the shorter formats of the game.

The victory marked Carlsen’s fifth rapid and blitz double, having previously achieved the feat in 2014, 2019, 2022 and 2023. Although he relinquished his classical world championship title after multiple reigns between 2013 and 2021, Carlsen has remained a leading force across other formats.

The 35-year-old endured a slow start during the opening phase of the blitz competition, managing to recover after difficulties across the first 19 games to reach the knockout stages.

In the semi-finals, he overcame American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana with a 3–1 scoreline to set up the final against Abdusattorov.

Carlsen dropped the opening game of the best-of-four final against the 21-year-old Uzbek but responded in the second game to level the match.

After a draw in the third encounter, the contest was decided in the fourth game, where Carlsen prevailed during a time scramble before converting the endgame to secure the title.

Earlier this year, Carlsen also won the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, adding to his list of achievements in alternative formats.

Despite stepping away from the pursuit of further classical world titles, his results in rapid and blitz competitions continue to reinforce his standing at the top of the game.

In the women’s blitz final, Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva defeated Ukraine’s Anna Muzychuk 2½–1½ to claim the world blitz championship.