Magnus Carlsen has added yet another milestone to his legendary career, capturing his 21st world title by winning the 2025 FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship in Doha, Qatar.
The 35-year-old Norwegian grandmaster scored 10.5 points out of 13 games to claim his sixth World Rapid title, reaffirming his status as the most dominant chess player of the modern era.
Carlsen began the tournament in commanding fashion, winning his first four games against Lorenzo Lodici, David Paravyan, Eduardo Iturrizaga Bonelli, and David Anton. He then drew against elite opponents Arjun Erigaisi and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave before suffering a setback in round seven.
Playing Black against Vladislav Artemiev, Carlsen rejected a draw offer in an equal position and pushed for a win. The decision backfired, and he eventually lost the game. After that defeat, Carlsen dropped to 14th place with five points.
At that stage, Artemiev led the tournament with 6.5 points and appeared to be in control. However, Carlsen once again demonstrated why he has won more world titles than any of his contemporaries.
Following the loss, Carlsen produced a perfect run, winning five consecutive games against Shant Sargsyan, Ray Robson, Alexey Sarana, Hans Niemann, and Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus. During the same stretch, Artemiev drew all five of his games, allowing Carlsen to surge back to the top of the standings.
The winning streak gave Carlsen a one-point lead heading into the final round. With the White pieces, he opted for a quick and safe draw against Anish Giri, securing enough points to clinch the championship.
The World Rapid Championship has been organized by FIDE sporadically since 1988 and has been held annually since 2012. This marks Carlsen’s sixth World Rapid title, following victories in 2014, 2015, 2019, 2022, and 2023. No other player, male or female, has won more than two World Rapid titles.
With this victory, Carlsen’s tally of FIDE world titles now stands at 20. These include five Classical World Championships, six World Rapid titles, eight World Blitz titles, and one FIDE World Cup. When his Esports World Cup (not a FIDE title) title from 2025 is included, the total rises to an unprecedented 21 world titles.
Carlsen will remain in Doha for the World Blitz Championship, scheduled for December 29 and 30. As the defending champion, he is once again the favorite to add yet another title to his extraordinary collection.
Watch the 2025 World Rapid Championship live here
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