Magnus Carlsen’s win at the Esports World Cup 2025 was more than just another victory. It was his 20th world title in chess – an achievement no one else has ever reached more than 10 times.
Let’s break it down. Carlsen has now won:
- 8 World Blitz Chess Championship titles
- 5 World Chess Championship titles (standard)
- 5 World Rapid Chess Championship titles
- 1 Chess World Cup
- 1 Esports World Cup
The Beginning: Moscow, 2009
Carlsen’s first world title came in 2009 when he was just 18 years old. It happened at the World Blitz Chess Championship in Red Square, Moscow. The tournament had 22 players, and they played 42 games in total. Carlsen scored 31 points, beating big names like Viswanathan Anand, Sergey Karjakin, Vladimir Kramnik, and Alexander Grischuk twice. He was unstoppable.
Blitz Dominance
After that, Carlsen kept adding more World Blitz Chess Championship titles: in 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2024. In 2024, he shared the title with Ian Nepomniachtchi. He skipped the 2013 edition, which Le Quang Liem won, because of a dispute with FIDE.
World Chess Champion
In 2013, Carlsen became the World Chess Champion, beating Anand 6.5–3.5 in Chennai, India. He was already the world’s number one, and his win confirmed it. He kept the title in 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2021, defending it four times in a row. In 2023, he stepped away from the World Chess Championship, saying he no longer wanted to prepare for long matches.
Rapid King
Carlsen has also ruled the World Rapid Chess Championship, winning in 2014, 2015, 2019, 2022, and 2023. No one else comes close. Only Anand has more than one title: two, to be exact (2003 and 2017).
At the 2024 World Rapid Chess Championship in New York, Magnus Carlsen made headlines by quitting the tournament over a dress code dispute. After showing up in jeans, Carlsen was fined $200 and told he wouldn’t be paired for the next round unless he changed. He refused and withdrew, not just from the World Rapid Chess Championship.
Carlsen said the issue became “a matter of principle” and admitted he didn’t even think about the jeans after rushing from a lunch meeting. His decision added fuel to the growing tension between him and FIDE, with Carlsen criticizing the governing body for its approach to events like Freestyle Chess, which he supports. FIDE, in turn, denied his accusations.
A Long Journey in the Chess World Cup
The Chess World Cup was tough for Carlsen. He first played it in 2005 at age 14 and placed 10th. Then, he skipped the event for over a decade. He came back in 2017 but lost early. He finished third in 2021, and finally, in 2023, he won it for the first time.
Esports Chess and the 20th Crown
In 2025, chess appeared in the Esports World Cup for the first time. Carlsen beat Alireza Firouzja 2-0 in the final. That win made it world title number 20 for him: a new milestone in chess history.
Still Chasing One Last Trophy?
There’s one world event Carlsen hasn’t won: the World Fischer Random Chess Championship. He finished second in 2019 and third in 2022. FIDE hasn’t announced plans for another edition, so that title might remain out of reach, for now.
A Record Like No Other
Since Carlsen’s first win in 2009, no other player has more than three world titles. Anand has three. The rest have fewer.
Carlsen was born on November 30, 1990, in Norway. He is the world number one in standard, rapid, blitz, and Fischer Random (960). He has led the standard rating list for 14 straight years. This year alone, he has won 7 out of 9 tournaments.
Tournaments Magnus Carlsen Won in 2025:
- Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam (Classical & Rapid)
- Grenke Freestyle Chess Open (Classical) – Perfect 9/9 score
- Chess.com Classic (Rapid)
- Chessable Masters (Rapid)
- Norway Chess (Classical & Armageddon)
- Croatia 2025 (Rapid & Blitz)
- Esports World Cup (Rapid)
Tournaments Magnus Carlsen Did Not Win in 2025:
- Weissenhaus Freestyle Chess Grand Slam (Classical & Rapid) – 3rd place
- Las Vegas Freestyle Chess Grand Slam (Classical & Rapid) – 3rd place
And at 34, he’s not done yet.
I’m Xuan Binh, the founder of Attacking Chess, and the Deputy Head of Communications at the Vietnam Chess Federation (VCF). My chess.com and lichess rating is above 2300, in both blitz and bullet. Follow me on Twitter (X).
