Magnus Carlsen reclaims World Rapid crown, Arjun Erigaisi takes bronze; Koneru Humpy shines in women's section

Magnus Carlsen once again proved why he is considered the best chess player of this generation by winning the FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship 2025. Competing in a tough 13-round tournament featuring the strongest players in the world, Carlsen finished on top with an outstanding score of 10.5 points out of 13.

The Norwegian grandmaster sealed the title in Doha with a calm draw against Anish Giri in the final round, which was enough to keep him clear of the chasing pack. Carlsen’s run in the tournament was dominant as he won 10 games, drew two and suffered just one loss, which came in Round 7 against Vladislav Artemiev.

🇳🇴 Magnus Carlsen is the 2025 FIDE World Rapid Champion 🏆

Final Round Result 👇
Magnus Carlsen 0.5-0.5 Anish Giri 🇳🇱#RapidBlitz #Doha pic.twitter.com/4edozrVWo4

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) December 28, 2025

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This victory marks Carlsen’s sixth World Rapid Championship title, underlining his long-standing dominance in the game. The win also carries extra significance as Carlsen had missed out on defending his title last year in New York, where he forfeited the championship following the infamous jeansgate controversy.

Arjun Erigaisi takes bronze medal

Russian GM Vladislav Artemiev, who led the standings for a large part of the tournament, finished second with 9.5 points. India’s Arjun Erigaisi took the bronze medal, tying for third place on 9.5 points along with several other players, including Hans Niemann. He is the second Indian GM to win a medal in the World Rapid Chess Championship after the legendary Viswanathan Anand.

Reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju also put in a solid performance, but slipped in the last two days. He finished 20th, tying with several players on 8.5 points. Nihal Sarin finished 19th with the same number of points, while Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa placed 28th, also ending on an identical tally.

In the women’s section, Indian chess star Koneru Humpy faced heartbreak in her bid for a third World Rapid title, settling for bronze despite tying for the top spot. Aleksandra Goryachkina claimed the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Rapid Chess Championship. China’s Zhu Jiner took the silver medal. Humpy fell behind them due to the average rating of opponents.

Meanwhile, Carlsen will now shift focus to the World Blitz Chess Championship 2025, where he will look to add another title to his already glittering career. He had shared the Blitz title last year with Ian Nepomniachtchi.