‘Magnum’ Carlsen seals sensational world double

young new delhi: How is Magnus in the last? In schmoose rooms crosswise the world, on tv screens, on cellphones and laptops, this was the one question that was trending. The Norwegian world No.1 is used to creating something out of nothing but even by his exalted standard, a march to the final of the World Blitz seemed like a bridge too far.

But when it comes to the 35-year-old, never say never. It is something he has proven time and again and did that once more on Tuesday by beating all comers to win the World Blitz crown in Doha. It was his ninth World Blitz title, and the fifth time (2014, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2025) he has won the Rapid and Blitz titles in the same year.

Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov finished runner-up while India’s Arjun Erigaisi took the bronze medal as he did in Rapid.

“Feels really good,” said Carlsen, when asked how he felt seconds after winning his 20th World title. “Probably... One of the hardest earned ones,” he said.

Carlsen had ended Day 1 on 9 points and with just 6 games left on Day 2 for him to make his way into the top 4 who would make the playoffs, it was not going to be easy. But things became even tougher when in the first game of the day against Haik Martirosyan, in a winning position, he knocked over multiple pieces and pressed the clock even before resetting the board. He was handed a loss and that alone could have broken many lesser players.

Instead, the Norwegian arrived early for the next game, put on his game face and found his winning pace. And there is nothing more dangerous in chess than an on-song Carlsen. He qualified for the playoffs as the third best with 13.5 points – scoring successive wins over Rudik Makarian, Bu Xiangzhi, Ihor Samunenkov and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave to leave himself needing a draw ahead of his final game of the Swiss competition.

“At first (after the early loss), it was really, really tough but once I got into the knockouts, it was like a weight off my shoulders,” said Carlsen. “I was making mistakes here (in the playoffs) as well, but it was manageable. Of course, I went down here as well but at that point I felt I was in a great position, and regardless of what happens, I am happy.”

With the proverbial pressure now off, Carlsen reset and beat Fabiano Caruana in the semi-final. The match started with two draws before the Norwegian hammered out two wins in a row.

Awaiting him in the final was Nodirbek Abdusattorov, the man who dispatched Arjun Erigaisi in three games in his semi-final. And the match began with a Carlsen blunder handing the first win to the Uzbek before a particularly sharp knight-pawn endgame helped the world No.1 draw level.

Another draw took the match into the fourth game with everything to play for. And here, Magnus the endgame magician surfaced once again. Where everyone else sees a draw, the Norwegian sees an opportunity to grind out a win. Positional awareness is his greatest strength and the manner in which he ramps up pressure on his opponent is unmatched.

Carlsen had the best finish, but for much of the competition Arjun Erigaisi was on a higher level. He was joint leader at the end of the first day and steadily pulled away on Day 2 to finish the Swiss as a clear leader with 15 points.

If Carlsen was scrambling to catch up, Arjun was cruising with his wonderfully unique style. When others might have looked to play it safe, the 22-year-old kept pushing and playing in the only way he knew how. His penchant to create unbalanced positions worked to perfection.

Erigaisi’s gung-ho attitude works because he does this all the time. He might spend some more time on positions in the Classical format but his intent shines through in Rapid and Blitz.

His run came to an end against Abdusattorov, who was the last man to qualify for the playoffs but in fine form in the semi-final. He lost in three games but the winning of his first major medals should count as a getting-over-the-wall moment. It augurs well for 2026. The belief that his method works will be there. All he now needs is a little more finesse.

This brilliant performance has seen him become only the third Indian to win a medal in World Blitz after Viswanathan Anand and Vaishali R. He is also just the second Indian to win medals in both Rapid and Blitz Worlds after Anand and only the second Indian to do the double in the same year (again after Anand in 2017).

Bibi wins Women’s title

In the women’s competition, the 21-year-old Bibisara Assaubayeva of Kazakhstan won her third Blitz crown. She just got stronger as the tournament wore on and beat Slovenia’s Anna Muzychuk, a two-time champion herself, in a tense final.

With both players clearly nervous, this came down to the little things and that is where Assaubayeva proved to be the stronger player. The win also earned her a spot in the Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026.

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