Magnus Carlsen defeated Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the knockout finals 2.5-1.5 to clinch his ninth title in the World Blitz. In the Women’s competition, with the same score, Bibisara Assaubayeva won over Anna Muzychuk to claim her third World Blitz title and qualify for the 2026 Candidates.
The 2025 World Blitz Championships concluded in Doha with two familiar World Champions in this discipline. Second place in the Open Blitz went to Nodirbek Abdusattorov, while Arjun Erigaisi and Fabiano Caruana share the bronze. In the Women’s Blitz, Anna Muzychuk took silver, while the bronze went jointly to Zhu Jiner and Eline Roebers.
In both the Open and Women’s competitions, the top four players from the first advanced to knockouts consisting of semifinals and finals, each a four-game match. The first stage was a Swiss-system tournament with 19 rounds in the Open and 15 in the Women’s event.
Open Blitz
The first day of the Open finished with Arjun Erigaisi, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and Fabiano Caruana sharing the lead after 13 rounds. Six more rounds on Day 2 would determine the final four players advancing to the knockout stage.
The day started with a sensational ending of the game between Armenia’s Haik Martirosyan and Magnus Carlsen. In a tense position, with both players in severe time trouble, the Norwegian lost his composure and accidentally knocked off most pieces on the board with just two seconds left on his clock. As Magnus scrambled to reset them, he also pressed the clock (gaining two more seconds) before all the pieces were placed correctly, which was illegal.
The arbiters were called in, and the incident – already visible on camera – was reviewed. Sector arbiter Chris Bird consulted with the players and explained the rules applicable in this situation. According to the regulations – which were presented to the players in the Technical Meeting ahead of each tournament – if a player brings the game into disrepute “with the intention of preventing their time expiring, the player should expect to be penalised by losing the game.” After hearing to the explanation, Carlsen accepted the decision and shook Martirosyan’s hand.
This was a serious setback for the Norwegian – his second time in the tournament he dropped a piece in time trouble and ended up losing. Despite the incident, Carlsen kept his composure and rebounded in the following rounds.
As the final rounds neared, several top players withdrew, concluding they had no chance of reaching prizes or top places. Among those who left early were Hans Niemann, José Eduardo Martínez Alcántara, Aleksandr Shimanov, and Maksim Chigaev.
Caruana entered the final round on 13 points, sharing second with Carlsen, who had won four straight games after his loss to Martirosyan—including a crucial victory over Vachier-Lagrave (MVL) as Black in the penultimate round. Vachier-Lagrave, who had been in the top three for much of the event, slipped to a group on 12.5 points, sharing fourth.
With first place and the top knockout spot decided, the final round determined the remaining three qualifiers. Erigaisi drew, while Caruana defeated Hakobyan with Black to claim clear second with 14/19. Carlsen split the point with Abdusattorov to finish on 13.5/19, enough for sole third.
Six players finished tied for fourth with 13/19, including Nihal Sarin, Wesley So, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Based on tiebreaks, Abdusattorov emerged on top of the group, clinching the final spot in the knockouts.
The final standings in the Swiss-tournament phase of the World Blitz Open are available [HERE].
Women’s Blitz
Day-one leader Eline Roebers continued dominating in Rounds 11 and 12 but lost in Round 13 to Bibisara Assaubayeva, who took sole lead. Playing the Sicilian, Assaubayeva seized the initiative early and won comfortably, reaching 10.5/13.
Assaubayeva’s stay at the top was short-lived. In round 14 she overlooked a piece in time trouble and lost to the two-time women’s world blitz champion Valentina Gunina.
With one round left to play, Gunina topped the standings with 11 points out of 14, half a point ahead of Assaubayeva. Six players shared third place, including Anna Muzychuk, who had climbed steadily with two wins and two draws on Day 2.
In the final round, Gunina and Muzychuk faced each other in an Italian Game. Gunina seized the initiative and reached a dominant position with an extra piece, but time became her enemy. With seconds on her clock, she overlooked a deadly check from Muzychuk that turned the game around. Gunina fought bravely but eventually capitulated.
When the dust settled, five players finished tied at the top on 11/15: Bibisara Assaubayeva, Anna Muzychuk, Eline Roebers, Zhu Jiner, and Valentina Gunina. With only the top four advancing to the knockout stage, Gunina was the unfortunate player to miss out – a disappointing end to an otherwise strong tournament.
The final standings in the Swiss-tournament phase of the World Blitz Open are available [HERE].
Knockout drama
In the semi-final matches in the Open, Uzbekistan’s top player, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, defeated India’s Arjun Erigaisi 2.5–0.5. Abdusattorov won both of the first two games. In game three, playing as White, Erigaisi managed only a draw, eliminating the need for the fourth game.
In the other semi-final in the Open, it was a duel of two old foes: Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana. After two hard-fought draws, in game three Carlsen managed to swing the game as Black and win. In the fourth game, Caruana did not manage to achieve more than equality, and the score was 2.5–1.5 for Carlsen.
The final was a nail-biter. Abdusattorov won the first game as Black with superior endgame precision, announcing a potential upset. In the second game, Carlsen struck back with the black pieces, grinding out a win in a dead-equal endgame. Following a draw in game three, everything depended on the final, fourth game. Carlsen prevailed in a tense battle and sealed his ninth World Blitz crown.
“This was a very tough event for me. It could have gone either way. But when we got to the knockouts, I thought I should really enjoy it, and it worked out,” said Carlsen.
In the women’s semi-finals, Assaubayeva swept Zhu Jiner 3-0, while Anna Muzychuk had a more difficult match against Eline Roebers. The Ukrainian won the first game drew the second, but Roebers struck in the third. In the final game of the match, confidence and experience prevailed, and Muzychuk reached the final.
Bibisara Assaubayeva came out on top in the final match against Anna Muzychuk, which was decided in the last game. Following three tough draws, Bibisara capitalized on the white pieces in the final game and defeated Muzychuk, who stumbled in time trouble.
“It was hard, but it feels great. It’s not easy to do this once, let alone three times. And also to qualify for the Candidates – it’s thrilling. Now I will rest a bit, and in February start my preparation for the Candidates,” said Assaubayeva in her first comments after winning the blitz for the third time (in 2021, 2022, and 2025).
Closing ceremony: A true celebration of chess
The event concluded with a closing ceremony at the Sports and Events Complex of Qatar University, where the winners were awarded the trophies and prizes. Players, officials, guests, and spectators gathered in the hall where top world grandmasters spent five days competing in the Open and the Blitz. The sound of clocks being pressed was replaced by fans of all ages cheering the champions and chasing them for autographs.
“This has been a memorable edition of the World Rapid & Blitz. We have watched five days of high tension at an exceptional level of play,” FIDE Vice President Vishwanathan Anand said.
“The games played here in Doha will be studied by fans and future grandmasters alike, providing excellent material for the history of our sport.”
Anand thanked the hosts, the Chess Federation of Qatar.
“We were last here for this championship in 2016. Qatar has changed much in these nine years. Yet the respect shown to chess here has remained constant. President Dvorkovich spoke of the bond between this region and the chess world. We value that partnership and look forward to returning,” the Qatar Chess Federation and its President, Grandmaster Mohammed Al Mudahka, said.
“We are confident that what has been achieved here represents a new step towards a broader and brighter future of chess in the region and around the world.”
Written by Milan Dinic
Photos: Anna Shtourman and Lennart Ootes
