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Carlsen wins blitz World Championship
The world No. 1 finished with 16 points from 21 rounds, ahead of Russian GMs Daniil Dubov (15.5 points) and Vladislav Artemiev (15)
Magnus Carlsen added the blitz title to his rapid crown from a couple of days ago as Indians Nihal Sarin and Arjun Erigaisi, among the joint leaders after the first round, couldn't carry the momentum into the final round of the FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship in Samarkand on Saturday.
Carlsen signed off with 16 points from the 21 rounds, keeping Russian GMs Daniil Dubov (15.5 points) and Vladislav Artemiev (15) at bay. The Norwegian thus defended both his crowns to capture his 17th World Championships title overall and add to his dominance across formats (he has won 5 classical titles, 5 rapid and 7 blitz).
Among the joint leaders on Friday, Carlsen had a bad start to the final day losing to Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in Round 13 for his only defeat of the event. But he bounced back with six straight wins, which proved enough despite draws in the last two rounds.
"I felt like I was running on adrenaline the whole day. But everybody is struggling at the end, and nobody plays their best. It was about surviving one game at a time, and I am happy I made it," Carlsen was quoted as saying by FIDE.
Erigaisi and Sarin, who were tied on top with 9 points after 12 rounds on Friday, finished sixth and 43, respectively. Erigaisi ended with 14 points after three wins, two defeats (including against Carlsen) and four draws. Sarin dropped dramatically after failing to notch up a single win on Saturday (six draws and three defeats).
Aravindh Chithambaram (14th, 13.5 points) was the second-best Indian followed by R Praggnanandhaa (28th, 12.5 points). D Gukesh, who secured his Candidates spot, finished 38th with 12.5 points.
In the women's blitz event won by Russia's Valentina Gunina, rapid silver medallist Koneru Hampy signed off fifth with 10.5 points from 17 rounds.
‘Prearranged’ game
Meanwhile, Russians Ian Nepomniachtchi and Dubov had half a point deducted by FIDE late on Friday after a controversial 13-move draw in the 11th round where both players only moved their knights. The Chief Arbiter said in a statement that "I consider they prearranged the result of the game".
