FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship: Carlsen Stuns Caruana To Win twenty first Title

Niemann scored a clear sweep in opposition to Arjun to win fifth place, whereas Aronian defeated Sindarov in armageddon to take seventh place.

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Carlsen 2.5-1.5 Caruana

All eyes had been on Carlsen vs. Caruana, a world championship rematch of the 2018 classical championship, which was extremely shut via the primary 12 classical video games. This time as properly, there was virtually nothing to separate the world numbers one and three, although it was as soon as once more Carlsen who clinched the title.

The primary recreation was by far the quietest, with the place utterly symmetrical after eight strikes. Carlsen did sharpen issues up with 17.Bxb7…

… however when Caruana discovered 17…Qxb7 18.Rxd6 Bc6! it was equal.

The second recreation, in the meantime, already hinted that this might be Caruana’s day, as he received the opening battle and gained actual successful probabilities, virtually all of them primarily based on pushing a pawn to g5.

Caruana delayed too lengthy, nevertheless, and Carlsen greater than held his personal within the time scramble that adopted.

Caruana thought for nearly 5 minutes on the board earlier than taking part in 1.c4 within the third recreation, and for a very long time Carlsen gave the impression to be doing simply positive. Then got here 15…Bxh4? and instantly Black was busted. 

Carlsen himself described the second:

I believed that I used to be doing fairly properly for a very long time, after which I missed certainly one of his sources there with 14.Nh4, and I reacted poorly. Often once you get a very misplaced place, it occurs steadily, however on this case I captured his knight, and I spotted that he has an in-between verify, and I can resign!

I captured his knight, and I spotted that he has an in-between verify, and I can resign!

—Magnus Carlsen

Evidently, Carlsen did not resign, although initially Caruana did every thing proper: “I had a little bit little bit of hope nonetheless, however then when he discovered these very good strikes with 19.Kd2! after which 20.f5! I believed, properly, that is over.”

Carlsen mentioned his opponent missed “a few early knockout punches,” which was a theme taken up by Caruana: 

I don’t know what to say about recreation three. After all, it’s simply successful in some ways, additionally there are in all probability very sensible methods to do it, perhaps some much less sensible however successful methods, and I simply didn’t select any of them. 

Carlsen performed an excellent pawn sacrifice to realize some counterchances and mentioned he might now not see a knockout blow, whereas his hopes had been additionally primarily based on his opponent’s clock: “As quickly as he will get very, very low on time, the standard of his play drops very considerably, and so at that time I hoped I may need an opportunity.”

So it proved, with Carlsen managing to equalize after which deciding to not pressure a draw. As he defined:

I used to be sort of smelling blood, since I felt that I’d been on the ropes for this recreation, and the second recreation wasn’t straightforward both, and I simply thought I’m in all probability not going to get a greater probability than this one. Happily he collapsed in a matter of strikes there. I’m very proud of that half, that I managed to psychologically reset and play for a win once I might. 

I am very proud of that half, that I managed to psychologically reset and play for a win once I might.

—Magnus Carlsen

It was stunning how briskly issues circled, with Carlsen whipping up a checkmating assault just some strikes later. A shocked Caruana had no selection however to resign.

Magnus Carlsen wins a useless misplaced place vs. Fabiano Caruana and is now a draw away from successful a twenty first World Championship title! https://t.co/yKPWuk36gr pic.twitter.com/qJWukA4MeX

— chess24 (@chess24com) February 15, 2026

That is our Sport of the Day, which GM Rafael Leitao has analyzed beneath.

“I had a golden alternative not essentially to win the ultimate match, however at the least to place him in a must-win scenario,” mentioned Caruana, who understandably appeared virtually a damaged man earlier than the ultimate recreation of the match. 

Because it occurred, nevertheless, the drama wasn’t over. On the floor it appeared as if Carlsen was confidently steering the sport towards a a lot better place which he would later be capable to commerce for the draw he wanted, however inside he was operating on empty:

That wasn’t the tip of the day as a result of within the final recreation, I might really feel early within the recreation that I used to be simply so exhausted. It’s been a number of lengthy days right here, after which a number of lengthy days in London earlier than that [at the Speed Chess Finals], and I simply didn’t have any power left by any means, and I might inform that he wasn’t actually taking part in that nice, but it surely was only a bar struggle, actually. In some unspecified time in the future I believed I used to be actually shedding.

It was only a bar struggle, actually!

—Magnus Carlsen on the ultimate recreation

Carlsen was proper, as 25.Qe2?, performed with 4 seconds on the clock, gave Caruana a one-move probability to take over.

25…Nfd2! was successful, however after 25…Qg5? Carlsen famous, “Hastily I’d saved the sport with 26.Qg2!” From there on it was solely a query of whether or not White would win or draw, and Carlsen by no means let go.

The ultimate moments as Magnus Carlsen drew one other thriller to safe the FIDE #FreestyleChess World Championship title! pic.twitter.com/R74VzOcsJX

— chess24 (@chess24com) February 15, 2026

Carlsen summed up his emotions: “It’s actually not certainly one of my extra convincing wins at this time, but it surely feels nice to have the ability to win on a little bit of an off day. Most of all I’m simply completely satisfied to be carried out!”

He elaborated on the theme of off days by explaining that was the explanation that his twenty first official world championship title was his first in Chess960: “I’ve truly had one actually, actually off day every time in these championships, and I misplaced soundly to Wesley [So] and then to Ian Nepomniachtchi as properly on these days.”

He took the $100,000 high prize, whereas Caruana picked up $60,000, with the hunt for a world championship title occurring for the U.S. star. “Clearly it is fairly bitter proper now,” was his verdict on what had nonetheless been a profitable occasion.

Abdusattorov 2.5-1.5 Keymer

The primary recreation of the third-place match was a draw, however for Keymer it should have felt virtually as catastrophic because the third recreation of the Closing for Caruana. 22.Ndc5? was a shedding blunder by Abdusattorov, with 22…Nxb4! grabbing an important pawn and ruining White’s place.

Abdusattorov dug deep to maintain the sport going, however could not keep away from falling three pawns behind in an endgame. Keymer’s drawback was the clock, nevertheless, and errors adopted till Abdusattorov managed to win all of the pawns again and pull off an important escape.

An awesome escape for Abdusattorov within the battle for third place, after he discovered himself 3 pawns down vs. Keymer! https://t.co/Jn5ywlUvgt pic.twitter.com/a4Shr5J8jy

— chess24 (@chess24com) February 15, 2026

That missed probability was swiftly punished within the subsequent recreation as Abdusattorov hunted down the white king to win in 24 strikes.

Keymer was successful an opposite-colored bishop endgame in recreation three however could not convert in time bother, whereas the ultimate recreation went like a dream for Abdusattorov who wanted solely a draw.

He supplied an alternate of queens right into a drawish endgame, however with a devilish entice—when Keymer prevented the alternate, the Uzbek number-one bought to sacrifice his queen for a successful place, or extra importantly a place he could not lose.

That meant Abdusattorov took $40,000 for third place and in addition joins Carlsen and Caruana in qualifying for the 2027 Freestyle Chess World Championship, whereas Keymer bought $30,000 for fourth.

Niemann 2-0 Arjun

The matches for fifth and seventh locations had been performed over two video games, with Niemann putting within the first recreation with the black items in opposition to Arjun. He summed up: “I believe I took management within the first recreation, performed a pleasant sacrifice, after which it was a easy technical win.”

That was a good abstract, though Arjun might have reacted higher to the sacrifice.

Within the second recreation Arjun by no means actually bought an opportunity to come back again and fell on his sword with a doomed king march on the finish.

Niemann took $25,000 and Arjun $20,000.

Aronian 2-1 Sindarov  

The $15,000 for seventh place went to Aronian, who described his event in a single phrase as “disastrous!” He added: “I blundered so many issues, gave again all of the presents I’ve bought in earlier Freestyle tournaments…. Typically I believe I’m beginning to play constantly after which this sort of event occurs, so it’s all the time good to come back again to the earth.”

The match noticed Aronian grind out a win in 84 strikes after Sindarov missed some ways to attract, whereas within the subsequent recreation the state of affairs was reversed as Sindarov received in 58 strikes after Aronian missed an opportunity to pressure a draw and clinch the match.

For the primary and final time in Weissenhaus this yr we bought an armageddon recreation, with Sindarov successful the bid by providing to play Black with 7 minutes 27 seconds, in opposition to Aronian’s 7 minutes 37 seconds.

That left Aronian with White and needing to win on demand, however that did not appear a difficulty when he bought a crushing place proper out of the opening. One slip vastly difficult issues, nevertheless, and within the mayhem that adopted, Aronian missed mate-in-one and was in actual hazard on the clock earlier than Sindarov resigned.

Levon Aronian misses mate-in-1 however finally wins a wild Armageddon recreation in opposition to Javokhir Sindarov to take seventh place! https://t.co/JUukrRBgbj pic.twitter.com/wHQd6z0duL

— chess24 (@chess24com) February 15, 2026

As you’ll be able to see within the video, at instances Sindarov positioned items between squares, and Aronian defined, “In some unspecified time in the future he began misplacing items, and I advised him he can not do this, and he resigned.”

It was a beneficiant gesture by Sindarov, who needed to accept final place and $10,000.     

Assaubayeva 2.5-1.5 Kosteniuk

There was another match in Weissenhaus, with Assaubayeva defeating Kosteniuk to guide a spot within the deliberate Girls’s FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship. After wins had been traded on Saturday, Assaubayeva received the primary recreation on Sunday, although Kosteniuk might have escaped with one dramatic sacrifice.

Kosteniuk needed to win on demand within the subsequent recreation, however as Assaubayeva put it, “Within the second I blundered, but it surely wasn’t simply that I’m shedding instantly and I survived in some way!”

Assaubayeva was requested if she likes Freestyle Chess and responded, “After all, I get pleasure from it as a result of I don’t have to organize!” That is a sentiment shared by her male colleagues, however we additionally bought extra proof for the way a lot enjoyable the sport might be to observe. It is deliberate to carry the following FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship in 2027.