Chess: Magnus Carlsen triumphs in London speed event but Nakamura fails

"Magnus Carlsen, the world No 1, visited Central London last weekend and won the chess.com speed championship for the fourth time in a row. The Norwegian, 35, defeated France's Alireza Firouzja, 22, by 15-12 after a three-hour struggle. Last year in Paris the same two players met, but Carlsen's winning margin was a much wider 23.5-7.5. The format for speed chess is 90 minutes of five minutes blitz, 60 minutes of three minutes blitz, and 30 minutes of one minute bullet. All the segments had additional increments of one second per move."

"Carlsen won the five-minute segment, the three-minute was tied, then Carlsen edged the one-minute bullet, Firouzja's speciality, by 5-4. In game nine, Carlsen's white rook and two bishops dominated Firouzja's black queen. Carlsen said: I felt as though I just outlasted him in the end. The event, which had a $250,000 prize fund, is highly valued among grandmasters. In its 10 years of competition, it has only ever been won by the world Nos 1 and 2, Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura. Carlsen has only ever lost two matches."

"The semi-finals and final of the 2025-26 event were staged before a packed live audience at 180 Studios, The Strand, with a further 30,000 watching on the web. Although the players were physically present at the venue, the games were played online with headphones on onsite computers in an esports style format. The live audience could cheer its favourites, although calling out moves was not permitted. During his victory speech, Carlsen complained that the crowd favoured Firouzja."

Magnus Carlsen won the chess.com speed championship for the fourth consecutive year, beating Alireza Firouzja 15-12 after three hours of play. Carlsen secured the five-minute blitz, the three-minute was tied, and he narrowly won the one-minute bullet 5-4. The match format comprised 90 minutes of five-minute blitz, 60 minutes of three-minute blitz, and 30 minutes of one-minute bullet with one-second increments. The semi-finals and final took place at 180 Studios, The Strand, before a packed audience and 30,000 online viewers, with players competing on-site computers in an esports-style format. The event carried a $250,000 prize fund and has historically been won only by world Nos 1 and 2.

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