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Norway’s Magnus Carlsen wins 2025 FIDE World Rapid Championship

The Norwegian chess player claimed his sixth World Rapid Championship title with a score of 10.5/13, finishing a full point ahead of the field

DOHA, December 31. /TASS/. Norway's Magnus Carlsen has taken another crown at the 2025 World Rapid Chess Championship hosted by Doha in the United Arab Emirates after defeating Nodirbek Abdusattorov from Uzbekistan in the final round, according to a Tuesday statement from FIDE.

The Norwegian chess player claimed his sixth World Rapid Championship title with a score of 10.5/13, finishing a full point ahead of the field.

"It was a big field with a lot of strong players," FIDE press office quoted Carlsen as saying after the match

"The serious advantage that I have is that I play for first place when I’m appearing here, while most other players are thinking about getting a good prize and maybe a medal," Carlsen continued. "That gives me a huge psychological advantage."

Carlsen claimed his sixth crown in the World Rapid (2014, 2015, 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2025).

Asked to compare this year’s FIDE Rapid Championship Crown to the previous five he won, Carlsen remarked: "What stands out is that I managed to beat everyone who is not a top player, something I’m very happy with."

"Overall, except for the start on day two, which was horrendous, everything else was really good for me here," he added.

Carlsen, 35, remains the reigning world leader in rapid chess. The Norwegian grandmaster, a five-time World Rapid Champion and eight-time World Blitz Champion, chose not to defend his world title in 2022 against Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi, marking a significant decision in his career.

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