Speed Chess Championship

Last updated
Magnus Carlsen, four-time speed chess champion. MagnusCarlsen24b.jpg
Magnus Carlsen, four-time speed chess champion.

The Speed Chess Championships are a family of annual blitz chess tournaments held and hosted by the online chess platform Chess.com. The reigning Speed Chess Champion is Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, who has won the main event four times out of six appearances. [1] American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, who has played in every single edition to date, won the event a record five times consecutively from 2018 to 2022. [2] He had also reached every final until 2024, when he was knocked out in the semifinals for the first time. [3]

Contents

Since 2019, Chess.com has also held the Women's and Junior Speed Chess Championships. [4] Chinese grandmaster Ju Wenjun is the reigning Women's Speed Chess Champion [5] , and Indian grandmaster Gukesh D is the reigning Junior Speed Chess Champion. [6] In 2020, the Youth Speed Chess Championship and IM Not A GM Speed Chess Championship were introduced as further spin-off events. [7] [8]

The 2024 Finals, for the first time, were held live in Paris. The event attracted media attention due to the matchup between Carlsen and American grandmaster Hans Niemann, which was their first live meeting since their 2022 controversy. [9] Although the players were physically present at the venue, the games were played online on on-site computers in an esports-style format, with a live audience present. [1]

List of winners

Speed Chess Championship finals
No.YearWinnerRunner-upFinal scorePrize fund
1 2016 Flag of Norway.svg Magnus Carlsen Flag of the United States.svg Hikaru Nakamura 14.5-10.5$40,000
22017 Flag of Norway.svg Magnus Carlsen Flag of the United States.svg Hikaru Nakamura18-9$50,000
32018 Flag of the United States.svg Hikaru Nakamura Flag of the United States.svg Wesley So 15.5-12.5$55,000
42019 Flag of the United States.svg Hikaru Nakamura Flag of the United States.svg Wesley So19.5-14.5$50,000
52020 Flag of the United States.svg Hikaru Nakamura Flag of France.svg Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 18.5-12.5$100,000
62021 Flag of the United States.svg Hikaru Nakamura Flag of the United States.svg Wesley So23-8$100,000
72022 Flag of the United States.svg Hikaru Nakamura Flag of Norway.svg Magnus Carlsen14.5-13.5$100,000
82023 Flag of Norway.svg Magnus Carlsen Flag of the United States.svg Hikaru Nakamura13.5-12.5$150,000
92024 Flag of Norway.svg Magnus Carlsen Flag of France.svg Alireza Firouzja 23.5-7.5$175,000

Nakamura has only ever lost four matches in the Speed Chess Championship; three against Carlsen, and one against Firouzja. Carlsen has only lost two matches, to Nakamura and Vachier-Lagrave.

Women's Speed Chess Championship finals
No.YearWinnerRunner-upFinal scorePrize fund
12019 Flag of Armenia.svg Elina Danielian Flag of Russia.svg Valentina Gunina 15-13$20,000
22020 Flag of Ukraine.svg Anna Ushenina Flag of Russia.svg Alexandra Kosteniuk 14.5-13.5$52,000
32021 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Hou Yifan Flag of India.svg Harika Dronavalli 15-13$66,000
42022 Flag of Russia.svg Kateryna Lagno Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Hou Yifan 15-13$70,000
52023 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Hou Yifan Flag of India.svg Harika Dronavalli 15-11$75,000
62024 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Ju Wenjun FIDE flag icon.png Polina Shuvalova 12.5-9.5$75,000

From 2020 to 2022, the Women's Speed Chess Championship was jointly presented by Chess.com and FIDE. [10] [11] The event originally served as a qualifier to the main Speed Chess Championship, just like the Junior Speed Chess Championship, but has since been held as a standalone event.

Events by year

2016

The inaugural event was called the Grandmaster Blitz Battle Championship. Carlsen, Nakamura, Vachier-Lagrave, World Blitz Champion Alexander Grischuk, Levon Aronian, Fabiano Caruana and Pentala Harikrishna were invited by Chess.com, while Tigran L. Petrosian entered through a qualifier event. [12] The format for the matches was 90 minutes of 5 minute games with an increment of 2 seconds, followed by 60 minutes of 3 minute games with an increment of 2 seconds, and finally 30 minutes of 1 minute games with a 1 second increment. The first game of each segment was a Chess960 game.

The final, held on October 27, was Carlsen's last public tournament appearance before the classical World Chess Championship 2016. Carlsen won the first segment by a score of 5.5-3.5, and extended his lead with a 5-2 win in the next segment. Although Nakamura won the final segment by a score of 5-4, Carlsen still won the match convincingly thanks to his wins in the first two segments. [13]

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
1 Flag of Norway.svg Magnus Carlsen 21
8 Flag of Armenia.svg Tigran L. Petrosian 4
1 Flag of Norway.svg Magnus Carlsen 16
4 Flag of Russia.svg Alexander Grischuk 8
4 Flag of Russia.svg Alexander Grischuk 11.5
5 Flag of Armenia.svg Levon Aronian 9.5
1 Flag of Norway.svg Magnus Carlsen 14.5
2 Flag of the United States.svg Hikaru Nakamura 10.5
2 Flag of the United States.svg Hikaru Nakamura 16
7 Flag of India.svg Pentala Harikrishna 9
2 Flag of the United States.svg Hikaru Nakamura 21.5
3 Flag of France.svg Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 10.5
3 Flag of France.svg Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 15.5
6 Flag of the United States.svg Fabiano Caruana 9.5

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magnus Carlsen</span> Norwegian chess grandmaster (born 1990)

Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen is a Norwegian chess grandmaster. Carlsen is a five-time World Chess Champion, the reigning five-time World Rapid Chess Champion, the reigning seven-time World Blitz Chess Champion, and the reigning Chess World Cup Champion. He has held the No. 1 position in the FIDE world chess rankings since 1 July 2011 and trails only Garry Kasparov in time spent as the highest-rated player in the world. His peak rating of 2882 is the highest in history. He also holds the record for the longest unbeaten streak at an elite level in classical chess at 125 games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hikaru Nakamura</span> American chess grandmaster and streamer (born 1987)

Christopher Hikaru Nakamura is an American chess grandmaster, streamer, YouTuber, five-time U.S. Chess Champion, and the reigning World Fischer Random Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he earned his grandmaster title at the age of 15, the youngest American at the time to do so. With a peak rating of 2816, Nakamura is the tenth-highest-rated player in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maxime Vachier-Lagrave</span> French chess grandmaster (born 1990)

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, often referred to by his initials, MVL, is a French chess grandmaster who is a former World Blitz Champion. With a peak rating of 2819, he is the seventh-highest rated player in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabiano Caruana</span> Italian-American chess grandmaster (born 1992)

Fabiano Luigi Caruana is an Italian and American chess grandmaster who is the reigning four-time United States Chess Champion. With a peak rating of 2844, Caruana is the third-highest-rated player in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Nepomniachtchi</span> Russian chess grandmaster (born 1990)

Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi is a Russian chess grandmaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anish Giri</span> Russian-Dutch chess grandmaster (born 1994)

Anish Kumar Giri is a Dutch chess grandmaster. A chess prodigy, he completed the requirements for the grandmaster title in 2009 at the age of 14 years, 7 months and 2 days. Giri is a five-time Dutch champion and won the Corus Chess B Group in 2010. He has represented the Netherlands at seven Chess Olympiads. He has also won major international tournaments, including the 2012 Reggio Emilia tournament, 2017 Reykjavik Open, 2023 Tata Steel Chess, and shared 1st place in the 2015 London Chess Classic. In 2019 he won clear first at the Third Edition of the Shenzhen Masters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lê Quang Liêm</span> Vietnamese chess grandmaster (born 1991)

Lê Quang Liêm is a Vietnamese chess grandmaster, the top-ranked of his country. He was awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in 2006. Liêm won the Asian Chess Championship in 2019 and was the World Blitz Chess Champion in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ding Liren</span> Chinese chess grandmaster (born 1992)

Ding Liren is a Chinese chess grandmaster and the reigning World Chess Champion. He is a three-time Chinese Chess Champion. He was the winner of the 2019 Grand Chess Tour, beating Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the finals and winning the 2019 Sinquefield Cup. Ding is the first Chinese player ever to play in a Candidates Tournament and pass the 2800 Elo mark on the FIDE world rankings. In July 2016, with a Blitz rating of 2875, he was the highest-rated Blitz player in the world. In July 2023, Ding became the No. 1 ranked Rapid player, with a rating of 2830.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Chess Classic</span> Chess festival held in London

The London Chess Classic is a chess festival held at the Olympia Conference Centre, West Kensington, London. The flagship event is a strong invitational tournament between some of the world's top grandmasters. A number of subsidiary events cover a wide range of chess activities, including tournaments suitable for norm and title seekers, junior events, amateur competitions, simultaneous exhibitions, coaching, and lectures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sinquefield Cup</span> Annual chess tournament

The Sinquefield Cup is an annual, closed chess tournament hosted by the Saint Louis Chess Club in St. Louis, Missouri, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nihal Sarin</span> Indian chess grandmaster (born 2004)

Nihal Sarin is an Indian chess grandmaster and chess prodigy. In 2018, he passed the Elo rating of 2600 at 14 years old, which at the time made him the third youngest player in history to do so.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lichess</span> Internet chess server

Lichess is a free and open-source Internet chess server run by a non-profit organization of the same name. Users of the site can play online chess anonymously and optionally register an account to play rated games. Lichess is ad-free and all the features are available for free, as the site is funded by donations from patrons. Features include chess puzzles, computer analysis, tournaments and chess variants.

The Grand Chess Tour (GCT) is a circuit of chess tournaments in which players compete for multiple prize pools. The tournaments, which vary from year to year, have included Norway Chess, the Sinquefield Cup, and the London Chess Classic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chess World Cup 2019</span> Chess tournament

The Chess World Cup 2019 was a 128-player single-elimination chess tournament that took place in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, from 9 September to 4 October 2019. It was won by Azerbaijani grandmaster Teimour Radjabov. He and the runner-up, Ding Liren, both qualified for the Candidates Tournament for the World Chess Championship 2021. It was the 8th edition of the Chess World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alireza Firouzja</span> Iranian-French chess grandmaster (born 2003)

Alireza Firouzja is an Iranian and French chess grandmaster. Firouzja is the youngest player to have surpassed a FIDE rating of 2800, beating the previous record set by Magnus Carlsen by more than five months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arjun Erigaisi</span> Indian chess grandmaster (born 2003)

Arjun Erigaisi is an Indian chess grandmaster. A chess prodigy, he earned the title of grandmaster at the age of 14 years, 11 months, 13 days. In September 2024 he became India's top rated player, and his peak rating of 2799 makes him the fifteenth-highest rated player in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gukesh Dommaraju</span> Indian chess grandmaster (born 2006)

Gukesh Dommaraju, also known as Gukesh D, is an Indian chess grandmaster. He is the third-youngest grandmaster in history, the third-youngest to reach a chess rating of 2700, the youngest to reach a rating of 2750, and is the eighteenth-highest rated player in history with a peak rating of 2794. He is also the youngest Candidates Tournament winner and the youngest contender to compete for the World Championship. He has won one team and two individual gold medals at the Olympiad as well as one bronze team medal. He is a silver medalist at the Asian Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hans Niemann</span> American chess grandmaster (born 2003)

Hans Moke Niemann is an American chess grandmaster and Twitch streamer. He first entered the top 100 junior players list on March 1, 2019, and became a FIDE grandmaster on January 22, 2021. In July 2021, he won the World Open chess tournament in Philadelphia. He had a peak global ranking of No. 16 in September 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candidates Tournament 2024</span> World Chess Championship qualifying event

The 2024 Candidates Tournament was an eight-player chess tournament, held to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship 2024. The tournament took place at The Great Hall in Toronto, Canada, from April 3–22, 2024. The event was held alongside the Women's Candidates Tournament. The event was won by Gukesh Dommaraju, which made him the youngest ever winner of a Candidates Tournament, and the youngest ever World Chess Championship challenger.

The Candidates Tournament 2024 and Women's Candidates Tournament 2024 were held concurrently for the first time to determine the challengers for the World Chess Champion Ding Liren and Women's World Chess Champion Ju Wenjun. The winner of the Candidates Tournament, Gukesh Dommaraju will play Ding in the World Chess Championship 2024, while Ju will defend her title against Tan Zhongyi in 2025.

References

  1. 1 2 Levin (AnthonyLevin), Anthony (2024-09-08). "2024 SCC Final: Carlsen Proves He's The Best Again, Wins 4th SCC Title". Chess.com. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  2. ↑ West (NM_Vanessa), Vanessa (2022-12-18). "Nakamura Wins 5th Speed Chess Championship". Chess.com. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  3. ↑ Colodro, Carlos Alberto (2024-09-07). "Speed Chess Championship: Carlsen and Firouzja advance to the final". ChessBase. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  4. ↑ Chess.com (News) (2019-03-08). "Nakamura Defeats So To Repeat As Speed Chess Champion". Chess.com. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  5. ↑ Colodro, Carlos Alberto (2024-09-05). "Ju Wenjun outscores Shuvalova, wins Women's Speed Chess Championship". ChessBase. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  6. ↑ West (NM_Vanessa), Vanessa (2023-06-19). "Unbelievable Counterstrikes: Gukesh Wins 2023 JSCC". Chess.com. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  7. ↑ Klein (MikeKlein), Mike (2020-03-04). "ChessKid.com Youth Speed Chess Championship Coming This Summer". Chess.com. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  8. ↑ Chess.com (News) (2020-04-14). "Saturday: IM Not A GM Speed Chess Championship Finals". Chess.com. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  9. ↑ Morse, Ben (2024-09-07). "Magnus Carlsen beats Hans Niemann in first match since infamous cheating scandal". CNN. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  10. ↑ Team (CHESScom), Chess com (2021-05-06). "2021 Women's Speed Chess Championship Presented By FIDE And Chess.com". Chess.com. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  11. ↑ FIDE (2021-05-07). "FIDE Chess.com Women's Speed Chess Championship announced". International Chess Federation. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  12. ↑ Pete (Pete) (2016-01-19). "The $40,000 GM Blitz Battle Championship". Chess.com. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  13. ↑ Klein (MikeKlein), Mike (2016-10-27). "Carlsen Beats Nakamura To Win GM Blitz Battle Championship". Chess.com. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.