Magnus Carlsen headlines World Rapid, Blitz Chess Championships in Doha
Qatar’s capital, Doha, will host the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships starting Friday, with Norway’s Magnus Carlsen as the main attraction thanks to the many titles he has won so far, EFE reports.
Carlsen, the world number one, has won five world rapid chess titles and eight blitz titles during his career, and another success in Doha would further cement his legendary status in the “sport of the mind.”
Organized by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the championship brings together 250 players from 65 countries in the open competition and 140 participants in the women’s category, running until next Tuesday, in the two formats that coexist alongside classical chess, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.
The first part of the tournament will be the rapid chess competition, with the final on the 28th, while the blitz games will begin the following day, with the final scheduled for the 30th.
As in previous editions, 35-year-old Magnus Carlsen will be at the center of attention and is considered the favorite to win both titles.
His presence draws additional interest following last year’s controversy in New York, when he withdrew from the rapid chess tournament for wearing jeans, which were then prohibited by FIDE’s dress code.
In Doha, the international federation will allow jeans, a decision seen as a “victory” for the Norwegian grandmaster in his ongoing dispute with FIDE, dating back to his refusal to defend his classical world title in 2022.
In rapid chess, where each player has 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move, Carlsen has won five titles, the most recent in 2023. The reigning champion is Russia’s Volodar Murzin, who, like other Russian and Belarusian players, will compete under the FIDE flag.
In blitz chess, with games lasting three minutes per player plus two seconds per move, Carlsen has also been dominant, winning eight titles, including three consecutive ones in recent editions. His first blitz title dates back to 2009.
In New York, a first-ever occurrence saw Carlsen share the crown with Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi after agreeing not to play a tiebreak game due to fatigue.
The championships feature a strong field, with Nepomniachtchi seeded second in both rapid and blitz. Other top contenders include Armenia’s Levon Aronian, blitz champion in 2010; France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, winner in 2021; and Italian-American Fabiano Caruana.
Also competing in Doha is India’s Gukesh Dommaraju, the reigning classical world champion and the youngest in history at age 18, though he is not considered a favorite in the rapid formats. China’s Ding Liren, whom Gukesh defeated, is absent from the tournament.
In the women’s championship, China’s Ju Wenjun is aiming for a triple crown after winning the classical world championship for the fifth time last year against compatriot Tan Zhongyi, who is also competing in Doha.
Ju, 34, is the reigning women’s blitz world champion and previously won the rapid title in 2017 and 2018.
As reported by CE Report, winners in the open category will share a total prize fund of €700,000 across rapid and blitz, while the women’s competition offers €300,000, also split between the two disciplines.
