Chess-Norway's Carlsen wins first FIDE Freestyle World Championship

Advertisement Sport Chess-Norway's Carlsen wins first FIDE Freestyle World Championship FILE PHOTO: Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen attends a news conference ahead of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Paris, France, April 7, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo 16 Feb 2026 06:12AM Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST Feb 15 : Norway's Magnus Carlsen added another crown to his collection on Sunday by becoming the first official FIDE Freestyle Chess world champion after a comeback win over Fabiano Caruana in Germany.The chess master secured the title with a cautious draw in the fourth and final game, clinching a 2.5–1.5 match victory against his 33-year-old American opponent in Weissenhaus.Sunday's turning point came in the thrilling third game, in which Carlsen, 35, pulled off a stunning win from a seemingly lost position, swinging the entire contest in his favour.The world number one only needed a draw in the decisive fourth game, and that's exactly what he got in an equal endgame, with Caruana missing late opportunities to mount a comeback. Subscribe to CNA's Recommended Read A single handpicked story that we think you shouldn't miss. Just one a day. This service is not intended for persons residing in the E.U. By clicking subscribe, I agree to receive news updates and promotional material from Mediacorp and Mediacorp’s partners. Loading Carlsen has now won 21 world titles in various formats.The World Championship marked a breakthrough collaboration between FIDE and private organiser Freestyle Chess, staging the first officially recognised title in this format.Carlsen had previously failed to capture the FIDE Fischer Random World Championship, making this victory particularly sweet for the chess great.In the bronze medal match, Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov beat Germany's Vincent Keymer, securing his spot by drawing from a winning position in the final game.Both finalists and Abdusattorov have qualified for next year's championship.The tournament's lower placings saw Hans Niemann of the United States take fifth with a 2-0 victory over India's Arjun Erigaisi, while Armenia's Levon Aronian won his Armageddon game against Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov for seventh place.In the women's exhibition match, Kazakhstan's Bibisara Assaubayeva prevailed over Switzerland's Alexandra Kosteniuk after their final encounter ended in a draw. Source: Reuters Newsletter Recommended Read Subscribe to CNA's Recommended Read A single handpicked story that we think you shouldn't miss. Just one a day. Sign up for our newsletters Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox Subscribe here Get the CNA app Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories Download here Get WhatsApp alerts Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app Join here Advertisement Also worth reading Content is loading... Advertisement Expand to read the full story Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST