The Norwegian, 35, overcame elite fields despite time forfeits after knocking over pieces in critical games
The world No 1, Magnus Carlsen, recovered from a series of mishaps to win both the World Rapid and Blitz crowns at Doha, Qatar, last weekend. The global victories were the 19th and 20th of the Norwegian’s illustrious career and may give him the edge in the longstanding debate on whether he, Garry Kasparov, or Bobby Fischer is chess’s all-time greatest master.
Peerless endgame technique was central to the 35-year-old Norwegian’s blitz success. He won a knight ending with Black against Nodirbek Abdusattorov from a position which elite grandmasters would normally have instantly agreed to halve, and also scored in other endings of extraordinary subtlety.
In between the moments of sublime elegance, there were some episodes which threatened to derail Carlsen’s campaign. He blundered rook for bishop and the game against Vladislav Artemiev in the rapid, then left the building and swatted the camera of a photographer who approached too near.
Final leading World Rapid scores were Carlsen 10.5/ 13, Artemiev (Russia, silver medal) and Arjun Erigaisi (India, bronze), both 9.5. The Rapid time control was 15 minutes each for the entire game, plus a 10 seconds per move increment. First prize was €70,000.
