Carlsen & Assaubayeva emerge World Blitz Champions 2025

GMs Magnus Carlsen & Bibisara Assaubayeva emerged the champions at the end of day 2 in the FIDE World Blitz Championships 2025 at the Qatar University Sports & Events Complex, Doha. GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov took the silver while league phase winner GM Erigaisi Arjun and US Champion Fabiano Caruana got awarded the bronze. In the women’s section GM Bibisara Assaubayeva did a Magnus winning her third world blitz championship title defeating GM Anna Muzychuk 2.5-1.5 in an absorbing final. The Kazakh star had won the world blitz titles in 2021 & 2022 and now has three in her bag at just 21 years of age.

An awesome medal tally of twenty world championships consisting of five classical world titles, along with six rapid triumphs and nine blitz trophies put the Norwegian legend in rare zone a la 20 Grand Slam titles. A feat unlikely to be matched for a long long time and one can take a bow this chess phenom.

Having lost three league games to GMs Erigiaisi Arjun, Fabiano Caruana and Haik Martirosyan, World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen survived a tricky path to the semi-final knockouts. After a draw in the 19th and final round against GM Abdusatttorov the eventual champ qualified taking the third of the four spots. Once into to medal round, we got to see a different Magnus altogether, the one who’s raked up 19 world titles and raging for more. Eyeing for the Gold and nothing else, Carlsen grounded his long time rival GM Fabiano Caruana 3-1 in the semi-finals and came back from behind to defeat Nodirbek Abdusattorov 2.5-1.5 in the finals.

Medal winners: (Blitz Open)
Gold: Magnus Carlsen
Silver: Nodirbek Abdusattorov
Bronze: Erigaisi Arjun & Fabiano Caruana

Medal winners: (Blitz Women)
Gold: Bibisara Assaubayeva
Silver: Anna Muzychuk
Bronze: Eline Roebers & Zhu Jiner

Nodirbek Abdusattorov (2768) – Magnus Carlsen (2881) 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 b5 6. Bb3 Be7 7. a4 Rb8 8. axb5 axb5 9. Nc3 O-O 10. O-O d6 11. h3 h6 12. Be3 Re8 13. Ne2 Bf8 14. Ng3 Be6 15. Bxe6 Rxe6 16. c3 d5 17. Qc2 b4 18. Rfd1 Qc8 19. Qa4 bxc3 20. bxc3 Ne7 21. Qa7 Ng6 22. Rdb1 Rxb1+ 23. Rxb1 dxe4 24. dxe4 Rc6 25. Rb8 Qe6 26. Qa8 Rxc3 27. Nf5 Nd7 28. Re8 Qc6 29. Qxc6 Rxc6 30. h4 Re6 31. Rc8 Nf6 32. Nd2 Ne7 33. Rxc7 Nxf5 34. exf5 Re8 35. Rc6 h5 36. Bg5 Nd5 37. Ne4 f6 38. Bd2 Ne7 39. Ra6 Nxf5 40. g3 Kf7 41. Kg2 Kg6 42. Ra4 Rc8 43. Ra2 Nd4 44. Be3 Nf5 45. Bb6 Nd6 46. Nxd6 Bxd6 47. Be3 Kf5 48. Ra7 g6 49. Ra2 Rc4 50. Rd2 Bb4 51. Ra2 Bc3 52. Rc2 Ke4 53. Ra2 Bd4 54. Bh6 Kd3 55. Ra3+ Rc3 56. Rxc3+ Kxc3 57. Bg7 e4 58. Kf1 Kd3 59. Bh6 Be5 60. Bc1 e3 61. Bxe3 Bxg3 62. Bg5?

62…fxg5 0-1

Bibisara Assaubayeva (2428) – Anna Muzychuk (2397) 1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nxc3 7. bxc3 e5 8. O-O Be7 9. d3 O-O 10. Rb1 Qc7 11. Nd2 Rb8 12. Nc4 Be6 13. Qa4 f6 14. Ne3 Rfd8 15. Re1 Bf8 16. c4 Bd7 17. Nd5 Qd6 18. Qa3 b6 19. Bd2 Rbc8 20. h4 Bg4 21. Ne3 Bd7 22. h5 Kh8 23. Nd5 Bg4 24. h6 g6 25. Ne3 Be6 26. Nd5 Bg4 27. Be3 Rd7 28. Qa4 Nd4 29. Bxd4 exd4 30. e3 Bxh6 31. exd4 cxd4 32. Re4 Bf5 33. Rxd4 Qe5 34. Rh4 Bg7 35. Be4 Rcd8 36. Bxf5 Qxf5 37. Re4 h5 38. Rbe1 Qf3 39. R1e3 Qf5 40. Qc6 Kh7 41. Kg2 Rd6 42. Qc7 R6d7 43. Qc6 Rd6 44. Qa4 R6d7 45. Re7 Kh6 46. Rf3 Qg5

47. Rxd7 1-0

Complete Results

Photos courtesy: Anna Shtourman / Lennart Ootes /FIDE (International Chess Federation)

Official Site: https://worldrapidandblitz2025.fide.com/