Magnus Carlsen once again showed why he is considered one of the greatest players in chess history as he produced a stunning comeback.
According to First Post, just days after lifting the World Rapid title, Carlsen has calimed FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship 2025 in Doha.
Carlsen clinched his 20th world championship crown by defeating Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov 2.5-1.5 in the final.
The Norwegian star lost the first game of the match, but responded strongly to win the second game and then sealed the title with a crucial victory with the black pieces in Game 4.
The triumph capped a remarkable turnaround for Carlsen, who had endured a difficult phase earlier in the tournament.
Earlier in the day, he suffered another setback when he had to forfeit a game to Armenian grandmaster Haik Martirosyan after fumbling with the pieces under pressure. Despite the rough start, Carlsen bounced back when it mattered most.
In the semifinals, the nine-time World Blitz champion defeated American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana 3-1 to book his place in the finals.
Speaking on his victory, Carlsen rated it as one of the best in one of the “very hardest” events.
“Feels very good. Probably one of the very hardest events. (on being stressed after losing a match on forfeit) No, I was mostly concerned about what I was doing then,” Carlsen said.
On the pressure in the final, Carlsen said that losing the first game to Abdusattorov didn’t disturb him as he was confident in his game.
