Latest news with #MagnusCarlsen
New York Times
2 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Magnus Carlsen, world chess No. 1, signs St Pauli contract extension for 2025-26 Bundesliga season
World chess No. 1 Magnus Carlsen will continue with Bundesliga team St Pauli for the 2025-26 season. Carlsen joined the German team in May 2024. Nicknamed 'the Mozart of Chess', the former world champion helped St Pauli to a 12th-placed finish in the 15-team standings, cementing their top-flight status in their debut season following promotion. Advertisement 'Last season was a great success for the team,' Carlsen said. 'We proved that we can hold our own in the Bundesliga and compete with the very best. I'm looking forward to the team's continued development – and to contributing to it.' Carlsen's arrival at St Pauli came with significant fanfare, his stature and reputation in chess attracting an oversubscription in interest for tickets and his matches were covered by the majority of German newspapers and several television channels. The Norwegian's arrival also meant each of the top-10 chess players in the world were playing in Germany. Both St Pauli's football team and its amateur chess team won promotion to the top-flight in 2024. The club's branding as one of the most widely-recognised left-wing teams in Europe was one of the factors which attracted Carlsen, with his acquisition a significant coup in their attempt for survival. Carlsen attended a St. Pauli match at their stadium, the Millerntor, when they were a struggling second-division team, and he cited the 'relaxed and joyful atmosphere' as a factor in persuading him to become a part of the club. Thomas Schuttler, chairman of the FC St. Pauli chess department, said: 'Magnus Carlsen is not only an extraordinary player but also a tremendous asset to our team culture. His presence has inspired everyone involved. We're thrilled that he's staying on — together, we're writing a special chapter in German chess, in true St. Pauli style.' Carlsen made his debut in the fifth round of the Bundesliga season, defeating Dutch grandmaster Max Warmerdam as St Pauli triumphed over SG Solingen, their first victory of the season. He was then held to a draw by Wei Yi in his side's narrow defeat to Dusseldorfer SK. The 34-year-old has not played for St Pauli since, with appearances at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Weissenhaus and Paris, the TCh-NOR Elite 2024-25 and 13th Norway Chess 2025 comprising a busy schedule. Jan Henric Buettner, founder of Freestyle Chess and sponsor of the team said Carlsen's contract extension 'reflects the strength of our shared project and our ambition to increase the popularity of chess in Germany'.
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First Post
4 hours ago
- Sport
- First Post
Magnus Carlsen finally hits 2900 rating: 'My wife is way more attracted to me now'
Magnus Carlsen finally crossed the 2900 rating mark in chess, but in the freestyle format, not classical. After learning about his new achievement, Carlsen joked that his wife finds him more attractive now that has crossed the 2900 rating. R Praggnanandhaa is the highest ranked Indian at 4th. read more Magnus Carlsen has finally achieved his dream of crossing the 2900 rating mark in chess. Despite winning the world championship five times and being ranked world no. 1 for almost 15 years, Carlsen never managed to reach a 2900 rating in classical chess. His highest-ever classical rating was 2882, which he reached in 2014. However, the long wait is over for Carlsen as he has managed to breach the 2900 rating. Although it is not in classical chess, that dream of his will still have to wait. Carlsen has achieved this in freestyle chess. The updated freestyle chess ratings were released on Thursday and showed Carlsen at the top with a rating of 2909. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Carlsen reacts after reaching 2900 rating Carlsen's freestyle rating is 72 points higher than his current rating in classical chess. Carlsen reacted to the news by cracking a joke. 'My wife is way more attracted to me now that I've achieved 2900,' Carlsen said after he learnt about the rating. Carlsen secured 9 out of 9 wins at the Grenke Freestyle Open earlier this year. After the win, Carlsen said, 'It's incredible. I have never done that in classical chess, or in any format - and it's not gonna happen again! It feels amazing." Freestyle chess is different from the regular format. These rankings were not released by FIDE, the global chess body, but by the organisers of freestyle chess themselves. The ratings are based on performances in five recent tournaments - Weissenhaus 2024, Singapore 2024, Weissenhaus 2025, Paris 2025, Karlsruhe 2025. Indians in freestyle chess rankings Meanwhile, there is also good news for Indian chess fans. R Praggnanandhaa is ranked 4th in freestyle chess with a rating of 2773, making him the highest-ranked Indian. He is just behind Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura (2818), and Fabiano Caruana (2804). Arjun Erigaisi is also in the top 10 as he is ranked 8th with 2758 rating. Other Indian players in the top rankings include, Vidit Gujrathi at 18th (2713), Aravindh Chithambaram at 22nd (2707), and D Gukesh at 26th (2701). Even though Gukesh is the current classical world champion, he has not performed well in freestyle chess tournaments. That's why his ranking here is lower.
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Chess: 'My wife is way more attracted to me now' — Magnus Carlsen after record rating in freestyle
Magnus Carlsen and his wife Ella Victoria (Image via Instagram/Magnus Carlsen) Magnus Carlsen has achieved a significant milestone by crossing the 2900 rating threshold in freestyle chess, a feat that had long evaded him in classical chess. No chess player has ever reached this mark before. Carlsen, a five-time world chess champion who has maintained the world number one position for nearly 15 years, previously peaked at 2882 in classical chess during May 2014. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! The new freestyle chess ratings, released on Thursday, are compiled by Freestyle Chess organisation rather than FIDE, the global chess governing body. "My wife (Ella Victoria) is way more attracted to me now that I've achieved 2900," Carlsen told Freestyle Chess, joking after learning about his rating. The freestyle ratings were calculated using five tournaments: Weissenhaus 2024, Singapore 2024, Weissenhaus 2025, Paris 2025, and Karlsruhe 2025. The list includes 578 players who participated in at least one freestyle chess event in the past two years. Praggnanandhaa leads Indian players at fourth place with 2773 points, following Carlsen (2909), Hikaru Nakamura (2818), and Fabiano Caruana (2804). Poll Which chess format do you prefer to watch? Classical chess Freestyle chess Rapid/blitz chess Other Indian players on the list include Arjun Erigaisi in 8th place with 2758 points, Vidit Santosh Gujarathi at 18th with 2713 points, Aravindh Chithambaram VR at 22nd with 2707 points, and classical world champion Gukesh at 26th with 2701 points. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Concentrated Siberian Ginseng Extract 2oz Superior Ginseng Undo Gukesh's lower ranking can be attributed to his recent struggles in freestyle chess tournaments. Carlsen has excelled in this format, achieving a perfect score of nine wins in nine games at the Grenke Freestyle Open. His freestyle ELO rating of 2909 surpasses his classical chess rating by 72 points. 'Cricketers Aren't Cattle... ': Harish Thawani on the IPL and Business of Indian Cricket Carlsen had previously approached the 2900 mark in classical chess in 2019. During this period, he set another record by playing 125 classical games without defeat between July 2018 and October 2020. "I have given up a bit on trying to reach 2900. It will just be very, very difficult," Carlsen had stated on the Norwegian podcast Sjakksnakk in 2023. Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Star-studded WR Chess repeat World Blitz title amid controversy in London
WR Chess, the star-studded world top 10 team, retained their World Team Blitz crown in London last week, but only after an almighty scare and with significant help from the appeals committee. WR had already been beaten for the World Rapid title by MGD1, a Pune-based group led by India's Arjun Erigaisi. WR lost 2-4 to Germany in their Blitz quarter-final, but got the match annulled on the grounds that they had been advised of the wrong start time so had arrived two minutes late for a three-minute game. All the other teams arrived on time. Advertisement WR stands for Wadim Rosenstein, a tech billionaire who plays on the amateur board of his team and who persuaded Fide to launch this new competition two years ago. His squad even included Magnus Carlsen until the No 1 fell out with Fide. WR Chess defeated Kazakhstan in the gold medal blitz match, with Hexamind third. Earlier, Erigaisi's MGD1 won Rapid gold, with Levon Aronian's Hexamind taking silver and Vishy Anand's Freedom winning bronze. Leading English teams disappointed, although all gained valuable experience against top opposition. The national squad, named Malcolm's Mates after England's international director, Malcolm Pein, suffered on the top boards in the Rapid as Luke McShane scored 2/9 and Gawain Jones 3/8, and never looked like matching their seeding of third. The Blitz went better, but in the last 16 Malcolm's Mates were paired against the WR Chess heavyweights and were overwhelmed 9.5-2.5. WR Chess had an epic group match against the all-junor Turkish Airlines squad, who rose to the occasion with an impressive performance. Advertisement Argentina's 11-year-old prodigy Faustino Oro drew easily with Russia's No 1, Ian Nepomniachtchi, then forecast himself to become world champion in 2032. The English teenagers Sohum Lohia and Indy Southcott-Moyers fought well against the world stars Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, China's Lu Miaoyi drew with the all-time No 2 woman, Hou Yifan, and, most remarkable of all, a little-known 13-year-old from Azerbaijan, Khagan Ahmad, beat the US world No 2 and popular streamer, Hikaru Nakamura, in a marathon 112-move queen ending. All six games of this match are here. Unknowns of all ages very occasionally catch top stars out, but it normally occurs due to a sudden tactic that the great one overlooks, not after a prolonged marathon with the loser fighting tooth and nail. For a historic comparison to Ahmad v Nakamura, whose final stages were filmed here, I think of David Bronstein Hugh Alexander, Hastings 1953-54. Several of the best-known world talents made significant advances in London. Besides Oro, the Turkish pair of Ediz Gurel and Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus both totalled 8.5/12 in Rapid, while Russia's 10-year-old youngest ever IM, Roman Shogdzhiev, who Carlsen recently named, along with Erdogmus, as a potential world champion of the future, achieved a 2500 rating performance in Rapid. Many England juniors gained experience in the World Rapid and Blitz, but few could boast successes on the score table. The dedicated squads from Chess Trust Accelerators and the UK Chess Challenge could not match their more experienced opponents. Advertisement There was one exception, though. Bodhana Sivanandan, England's youngest ever Olympiad player, had her best result for many months. The 10-year-old, competing for her sponsor GM Ali Mortazavi's firm e-therapeutics, unleashed a blitz sequence that included the best individual score for her team, an unbeaten 10-game run and five wins in a row, plus a 2307 rating performance. 3977: It's mate on six by 1…g4+! 2 hxg4 (if 2 Kxh5 Qxh3 mate) Qh1+ 3 Kg5 f6+ 4 Kg6 Qe4+ 5 Kxh5 Qh7+ 6 Qh6 Qxh6 mate.
The Guardian
11 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Star-studded WR Chess repeat World Blitz title amid controversy in London
WR Chess, the star-studded world top 10 team, retained their World Team Blitz crown in London last week, but only after an almighty scare and with significant help from the appeals committee. WR had already been beaten for the World Rapid title by MGD1, a Pune-based group led by India's Arjun Erigaisi. WR lost 2-4 to Germany in their Blitz quarter-final, but got the match annulled on the grounds that they had been advised of the wrong start time so had arrived two minutes late for a three-minute game. All the other teams arrived on time. WR stands for Wadim Rosenstein, a tech billionaire who plays on the amateur board of his team and who persuaded Fide to launch this new competition two years ago. His squad even included Magnus Carlsen until the No 1 fell out with Fide. WR Chess defeated Kazakhstan in the gold medal blitz match, with Hexamind third. Earlier, Erigaisi's MGD1 won Rapid gold, with Levon Aronian's Hexamind taking silver and Vishy Anand's Freedom winning bronze. Leading English teams disappointed, although all gained valuable experience against top opposition. The national squad, named Malcolm's Mates after England's international director, Malcolm Pein, suffered on the top boards in the Rapid as Luke McShane scored 2/9 and Gawain Jones 3/8, and never looked like matching their seeding of third. The Blitz went better, but in the last 16 Malcolm's Mates were paired against the WR Chess heavyweights and were overwhelmed 9.5-2.5. WR Chess had an epic group match against the all-junor Turkish Airlines squad, who rose to the occasion with an impressive performance. Argentina's 11-year-old prodigy Faustino Oro drew easily with Russia's No 1, Ian Nepomniachtchi, then forecast himself to become world champion in 2032. The English teenagers Sohum Lohia and Indy Southcott-Moyers fought well against the world stars Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, China's Lu Miaoyi drew with the all-time No 2 woman, Hou Yifan, and, most remarkable of all, a little-known 13-year-old from Azerbaijan, Khagan Ahmad, beat the US world No 2 and popular streamer, Hikaru Nakamura, in a marathon 112-move queen ending. All six games of this match are here. Unknowns of all ages very occasionally catch top stars out, but it normally occurs due to a sudden tactic that the great one overlooks, not after a prolonged marathon with the loser fighting tooth and nail. For a historic comparison to Ahmad v Nakamura, whose final stages were filmed here, I think of David Bronstein Hugh Alexander, Hastings 1953-54. Several of the best-known world talents made significant advances in London. Besides Oro, the Turkish pair of Ediz Gurel and Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus both totalled 8.5/12 in Rapid, while Russia's 10-year-old youngest ever IM, Roman Shogdzhiev, who Carlsen recently named, along with Erdogmus, as a potential world champion of the future, achieved a 2500 rating performance in Rapid. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Many England juniors gained experience in the World Rapid and Blitz, but few could boast successes on the score table. The dedicated squads from Chess Trust Accelerators and the UK Chess Challenge could not match their more experienced opponents. There was one exception, though. Bodhana Sivanandan, England's youngest ever Olympiad player, had her best result for many months. The 10-year-old, competing for her sponsor GM Ali Mortazavi's firm e-therapeutics, unleashed a blitz sequence that included the best individual score for her team, an unbeaten 10-game run and five wins in a row, plus a 2307 rating performance. 3977: It's mate on six by 1…g4+! 2 hxg4 (if 2 Kxh5 Qxh3 mate) Qh1+ 3 Kg5 f6+ 4 Kg6 Qe4+ 5 Kxh5 Qh7+ 6 Qh6 Qxh6 mate.
