Magnus Carlsen has done it again. He won the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz 2025 tournament, even though he faced a major blow by losing to Gukesh D in a rapid game and not leading the table for most of the event. This victory is proof why Carlsen is still one of the best chess players in the world.
A Shaky Start At The SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz
The SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz was a challenging tournament with many strong players, and Carlsen entered the event as a title favorite, but things did not go smoothly for him. In the rapid part, he suffered a critical defeat to D. Gukesh, who was in sensational form. Gukesh not only beat Carlsen but also strung together five consecutive wins, ending the rapid rounds with a commanding 14 points, four ahead of Carlsen. He also lost two games in a row, something that rarely happens to him. Many fans thought this might be the end of his winning chances.
Crawled His Way Back To Glory
Despite the setback, Carlsen fought his way back to glory in the blitz rounds. He scored 7.5 out of 9 in the first leg of blitz, erasing Gukesh’s lead. While Gukesh D fumbled dramatically in the blitz, managing only 1.5 points in the first nine blitz games, Magnus Carlsen capitalized on every opportunity. By the final day, Carlsen had secured the title, ultimately finishing with 22.5 points, 2.5 points ahead of Wesley So, who finished second, and three points ahead of Gukesh, who settled for third.
Magnus Carlsen on The Win
In post-tournament interviews, Magnus Carlsen was candid about his struggles, admitting that he never felt fully in control and that his play was far from his best. He said, “I felt that I struggled most of the event. Partly because it was a very strong field this year. There weren’t a lot of weaker players at all. It wasn’t obvious who was going to score poorly and who was going to score well against the others. It felt like, especially in Rapid, chances were kind of hard to come by. I had one good day yesterday (the first day of the Blitz section on Saturday) and that turned out to be enough.”
He went on to add: “It speaks to the fact that it was a fairly even tournament overall. Nobody could really break away from the pack. It doesn’t feel like I won. It feels like I just came here and played alright. Nobody really did anything special in the end. Then I usually end up winning,”
