GM Magnus Carlsen defended his fifth Speed Chess Championship title by defeating GM Alireza Firouzja 15-12 in the 2025 SCC Final. The match took place during the Live Finals on February 7-8, 2026, in London. With the victory, Carlsen secured his third consecutive SCC title and earned $38,888.89 in prize money. Firouzja received $11,111.11 based on win percentage.
The 2025 Speed Chess Championship began on October 13, 2025, and concluded on February 8, 2026. Organized by Chess.com, the event featured a $250,000 prize pool and was classified as an A-Tier tournament. Sixteen players competed in a single-elimination format. Matches in the Round of 16 and Quarterfinals consisted of 75 minutes of 5+1 games, 50 minutes of 3+1 games, and 25 minutes of 1+1 games. The Semifinals and Final were extended to 90 minutes of 5+1, 60 minutes of 3+1, and 30 minutes of 1+1. The games were played under blitz and bullet time controls in an online/offline hybrid format at 180 Studios in London, England.
Only two players, Carlsen and GM Hikaru Nakamura, have won the Speed Chess Championship since 2016. Carlsen’s victory over Firouzja marked another year in which the championship remained between those two names. In the Final, Chess.com gave Carlsen a 72% chance of winning. The broadcast of the two final matches lasted just under 10 hours.
In the 5+1 portion of the Final, Carlsen defeated Firouzja 5.5-3.5. The players split the first two games, with Carlsen winning game one. Firouzja equalized by winning on time in the second game. After a draw, Carlsen and Firouzja traded additional wins before Firouzja took a one-point lead, the only time he led in the match. Carlsen responded by winning three consecutive games to build a two-point advantage. He closed the segment with an emphatic win, capitalizing on 20…Ne4? to seize control of the center and pressure the c-file.
During the break, Carlsen said, “It’s generally very hard to control matches against him because he raises the complexity level and, honestly, I’m just having a lot of fun! It’s a great match so far.”
The 3+1 segment ended in a 4.5-4.5 tie. Firouzja won the first decisive game of the portion after a struggle that included three exchange sacrifices. Carlsen held a bishop-down position in a subsequent game and later won what GM David Howell described as a positional masterpiece, commenting, “That could have easily belonged in Nimzovich’s My System.” Two draws followed, and Carlsen won a king and pawn endgame that was named Game of the Day. He later blundered a pawn and lost the final game of the segment, which he called a “gift” to his opponent. Despite that loss, he maintained a two-point overall lead.
In the 1+1 bullet segment, Carlsen defeated Firouzja 5-4. Firouzja was unable to replicate his previous comeback against Nakamura in the semifinal. After what IM Levy Rozman called a “disaster of a first game” for Firouzja, the segment featured several decisive results, with Black winning nearly every remaining game. Firouzja had an opportunity to close the gap but blundered a bishop in a critical moment, effectively ending his chances. Carlsen finished the match with a three-point margin, and his lead was never realistically threatened.
Firouzja stated that his primary goal had been to qualify for the Esports World Cup. “Today whatever would’ve happened was a bonus,” he said. He added that his semifinal match against Nakamura had drained him: “I managed to put up a fight, but I completely lost my energy after the 5+1.” He also said, “It was a great experience here with all the fans.”
Carlsen described the match as “probably the most fun Speed Chess Championship match I’ve been a part of.” He added, “I was thinking halfway [through], this is so much fun, even if I were to lose, I could sort of live with it.” Regarding the match dynamics, he said, “It felt as though I just outlasted him in the end.”
The 2025 edition introduced the Daniel Naroditsky Cup. Future champions will have their names etched on the trophy, retroactively and going forward.
In the third-place match, 19-year-old GM Denis Lazavik defeated Nakamura 13.5-12.5. Chess.com had given Nakamura an 81% chance of winning, with a predicted score of 14-10. It marked the second time in SCC history that Nakamura finished outside the top two.
In the 5+1 segment of their match, Nakamura led 4.5-3.5. The first half featured decisive results in every game. Nakamura won three of the first four games, including a technical pawn endgame and a checkmating combination beginning with 50.Rg8+, which prompted GM Aman Hambleton to say, “Straight out of a Puzzle Rush tactic right there, that’s routine, that’s basic stuff for Hikaru!” Lazavik won game two by checkmate and later capitalized on a resumed game after Nakamura reported technical issues. Lazavik finished the segment one point behind.
Lazavik won the 3+1 segment 6-3. He said afterward, “When we started, he got some lead, and I was a bit upset about it, but when I won, it increased my mood and I felt that, okay, now I’m playing better and probably even good, so everything can happen.” He took the lead with two technical wins and later secured another victory with the black pieces after three fighting draws.
In the 1+1 segment, Nakamura won 5-4 but fell one point short overall. Lazavik won the first decisive game of the segment to extend his lead to three points. Nakamura reduced the deficit with two wins, including a bishop sacrifice tactic. In the final game, Nakamura was pressing for a win but allowed a perpetual check in the closing seconds, securing Lazavik’s overall victory.
Lazavik said, “Of course, I didn’t expect it, but before the match I thought that it will be a bit easier than against Magnus, but anyway, he’s a very strong opponent so I’m very happy to win.”
Carlsen, Firouzja, and Lazavik qualified for the 2026 Esports World Cup. Carlsen had already qualified as the 2025 EWC Champion, and no additional spots were added. The remaining EWC places will be determined by the overall Champions Chess Tour points leaderboard.
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