The year 2025 ended on a note of high drama and mixed emotions for Indian chess fans at the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Doha. While the legendary Magnus Carlsen authored a comeback story for the ages to clinch the World Blitz title, India's young star Arjun Erigaisi had to settle for a bronze medal after a brilliant campaign that promised more.
Erigaisi's Dominant Run Ends in Semi-Final Heartbreak
Arjun Erigaisi concluded the prestigious year-ending tournament with two bronze medals, adding a Blitz bronze on Tuesday, December 31, to the Rapid bronze he won on Sunday. However, the manner of his exit from the Blitz knockout stages left a tinge of disappointment. Having displayed scintillating form over two days of blitz chess, Erigaisi was a strong contender for the gold.
India's medal tally at the event stood at three bronzes, with Koneru Humpy also securing third place in the Women's Rapid Championship earlier. Erigaisi's performance in the Open section was nothing short of dominant in the initial phase. From a field of 252 players, he topped the standings to secure a semi-final berth, finishing a full point ahead of American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana.
His path to the last four was marked by just one loss in 19 games, a defeat to Jorden Van Foreest. Along the way, he scored impressive victories over giants like Magnus Carlsen, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Javokhir Sindarov. He also held top players like Alireza Firouzja, Caruana, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Daniil Dubov, and India's Nihal Sarin to draws.
Yet, in the semi-finals against Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Erigaisi's magic faded. He lost the first two games and accepted a draw in the third, settling for a joint third-place finish with Fabiano Caruana. This outcome mirrored his challenging year, where he came agonizingly close to qualifying for the prestigious Candidates Tournament on multiple occasions but fell just short.
Magnus Carlsen's Bumpy Road to a Historic Ninth Crown
If Erigaisi's journey was smooth until the final hurdle, Magnus Carlsen's route to the title was fraught with chaos and resilience. The Norwegian world number one experienced a rollercoaster of incidents during the 19-round robin stage. He was forfeited after toppling his pieces and pressing the clock before resetting them against Haik M. Martirosyan. He also blundered a rook and famously lost on time to Erigaisi after dropping his queen in a time scramble.
Despite these setbacks, Carlsen scraped into the semi-finals. Once in the knockout, he transformed. "Probably one of the hardest-earned world championship titles," Carlsen told FIDE after defeating Abdusattorov in a final where he lost the first game. He described the forfeit loss as particularly tough to shake off. "But once I reached the knockout stages, the weight completely dropped off my shoulders. It felt a lot more manageable," he said.
This victory marked Carlsen's ninth World Blitz Championship title (including one shared in 2024) and his 20th world championship across all formats—comprising five classical, six rapid, and now nine blitz gold medals.
A Year of Near-Misses for India's Chess Prodigy
For Arjun Erigaisi, the World Blitz Championship served as a microcosm of his entire year. He demonstrated world-class ability but faced narrow misses at crucial junctures. His primary goal for 2025 was to qualify for the Candidates Tournament, and he was in pole position via the 2024 FIDE Circuit for most of the year. However, Fabiano Caruana's back-to-back wins at the US Masters and Saint Louis Masters at the year's end snatched the spot away.
Later, at the 2025 Grand Swiss, Erigaisi finished sixth, just half a point behind Matthias Bluebaum who took the second qualifying spot. His campaign at the FIDE World Cup in Goa also ended in the quarter-finals. The bronze medals in Doha, while commendable, thus represent a bittersweet conclusion to a year where the Indian grandmaster proved his elite stature but awaits his major breakthrough.
Carlsen and Erigaisi ended as the only two players in Doha to win two medals each, with the Norwegian claiming twin golds in Rapid and Blitz. The tournament underscored Carlsen's enduring genius and highlighted Erigaisi's rising potential, setting the stage for an intriguing 2026 in the world of chess.
