GM Magnus Carlsen and GM Aleksandra Goryachkina Are 2025 World Rapid Champions

Lichess Coverage

As usual, the games will be broadcast live daily on Lichess, with key updates across our social media channels, including daily interviews on YouTube with players on-site in Doha by IM Laura Unuk.

Interviews

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQYeT7OkYe0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdQ8_XsLLxs

Check out our other interviews from the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz 2025!

Overview

With a total prize fund of over €1 million, it’s no surprise that the best in the world will be playing. Aside from just prize money, this annual adrenaline-filled event also gives two Open & Women's World Championship titles across 5 days of high-octane play.

Format

The Rapid tournament will be played as a Swiss, with 13 rounds in the Open and 11 rounds in the Women's event. The time control is 15 minutes with a 10-second increment.

The Blitz tournament consists of two stages: a Swiss qualifier, with 19 rounds in the Open and 15 rounds in the Women's event, followed by the 4-player knockout finals to crown the new Open and Women's World Blitz Champions. The time control is 3 minutes with a 2-second increment.

Schedule

Open Overview

GM Magnus Carlsen is the 2025 World Rapid Champion after starting off the day with three wins and drawing his last round. Second and third are GM Vladislav Artemiev and GM Arjun Erigaisi, who also finished on the same points as fourth place GM Hans Moke Niemann and fifth place GM Leinier Dominguez Perez.

Open Standings

Open Round 10

GM Magnus Carlsen vs. GM Alexey Sarana

GM Magnus Carlsen was one of only two winners on the top five boards, defeating GM Alexey Sarana in a very "Magnus-esque" game. Sarana had just one chance to get a slight advantage after Carlsen's 12. Re1?!, which allowed 12...e5, but after Sarana let that chance slip, he was never in the game and Carlsen converted his advantage impeccably.

GM Arjun Erigaisi vs. GM Samuel Sevian

GM Arjun Erigaisi was the second winner on the top five boards, playing in his customary enterprising style as he first secured a space advantage on the queenside against GM Samuel Sevian and then proceeded to make use of his dangerous passed pawn to win the game.

Other Results

With draws on all other top 10 boards — between GM Hans Moke Niemann and GM Vladislav Artemiev (game), GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov and GM Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş (game), GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and GM Gukesh D (game), GM Parham Maghsoodloo and GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (game), GM Aleksandr Shimanov and GM Javokhir Sindarov (game), GM Cristobal Henriquez Villagra and GM Wesley So (game), and GM Ian Nepomniachtchi and GM Denis Lazavik (game) — it was GM Leinier Dominguez Perez who played a spectacular queen endgame against GM Rauf Mamedov after Dominguez had squandered away his advantage a few moves prior.

Open Round 11

GM Magnus Carlsen vs. GM Hans Moke Niemann

GM Magnus Carlsen vs. GM Hans Moke Niemann, with spectators taking pictures; photo: Lennart Ootes

The much anticipated matchup between GM Magnus Carlsen and GM Hans Moke Niemann was a tense affair, despite what a cursory look at the engine evaluation graph might indicate. Niemann's 12...d5 was in the fact the engine-approved move in the position, but Carlsen made sure to apply maximum pressure on Niemann's position, goading him into sacrificing a pawn. Niemann's compensation looked somewhat inadequate, but it takes stellar accuracy to prove that point, and Carlsen was, once again, up to the task.

GM Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş vs. GM Arjun Erigaisi

GM Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş vs. GM Arjun Erigaisi with GM Magnus Carlsen looking over, impressed; photo: Lennart Ootes

GM Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş has been having an amazing tournament so far, recovering from his round one setback in impressive fashion. His game against GM Arjun Erigaisi featured an extremely rare Sicilian setup which eventually saw Erdoğmuş outcalculate Arjun after 25. Bxd4!, winning a pawn in an endgame. Erdoğmuş started going astray as he tried to convert the position, but another blunder from Arjun allowed Erdoğmuş to wrest the initiative and convert his winning rook endgame into a win.

Other Results

GM Vladislav Artemiev played a quiet draw against GM Leinier Dominguez Perez. Meanwhile, just as his student, GM Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş, GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov played a splendid rook endgame against GM Nodirbek Abdusatorov (game). GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's rook endgame against GM Yu Yangyi was less one-sided as indeed Vachier-Lagrave played one of the most topsy-turvy games of the entire tournament but ultimately emerged victorious (game). GM Javokhir Sindarov's highly unorthodox treatment of the Caro-Kann Defense paid off as GM Parham Maghsoodloo lost control of the position and suffered due to his lack of space (game). GM Wesley So was pressing against GM Ray Robson, but Robson's time pressure caught up to him as he flagged on move 32 (game).

Open Round 12

GM Magnus Carlsen vs. GM Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş

GM Magnus Carlsen once again put on an endgame clinic, this time against GM Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş, whose impressive run after his round 1 loss came to an end at this very round. Erdoğmuş did well to reposition his pieces and improve their placement gradually, but the damage had already been done and Carlsen's position was just easier to play.

GM Hans Moke Niemann vs. GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

GM Hans Moke Niemann was applying pressure to GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's position, at some point having a much better position. However, he could not find the precise sequence of moves, and the game seemed to be headed toward a draw. Tragedy for Mamedyarov struck on move 68, though, as his 68. h3?? allowed Niemann a mating idea in a rook + knight vs. rook + two pawns endgame.

Other Results

GM Vladislav Artemiev and GM Javohkir Sindarov drew pretty quickly; so too did GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and GM Wesley So, and similarly for GM Aleksandr Shimanov and GM Leinier Dominguez Perez.

Standings before round 13

Open Round 13

GM Magnus Carlsen vs. GM Anish Giri

GM Magnus Carlsen only needed a draw against GM Anish Giri to secure his win of the 2025 World Rapid Champion title, and he achieved his result with relative ease as he was able to completely neutralize Giri's Sicilian with the Alapin.

GM Arjun Erigaisi vs. GM Aleksandr Shimanov

GM Arjun Erigaisi's swashbuckling treatment of GM Aleksandr Shimanov's King's Indian Defense was a good example of controlled chaos; Arjun's king found safety on the queenside and contrary to typical King's Indian Defense games, it was White who was attacking Black.

GM Leinier Dominguez Perez vs. GM Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş

GM Leinier Dominguez Perez did well to counter GM Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş Sicilian Najdorf, achieving a dominant knight on c6. Good defense by Erdoğmuş forced Dominguez to lose his advantage, but he found his way to a win in a double rook endgame, finishing in fifth place.

Other Results

GM Vladislav Artemiev played a quiet game against GM Wesley So to secure second place, with So finishing in eighth. GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's game against GM Hans Moke Niemann was more complicated, but also saw both players draw, allowing Niemann to finish in fourth and Vachier-Lagrave in sixth. GM Samuel Sevian defeated GM Ian Nepomniachtchi in a one-sided game, while GM Javokhir Sindarov played a stable draw against GM Andrey Esipenko, finishing in seventh and tenth place, respectively.

GM Magnus Carlsen; photo: Anna Shtourman

Women's Overview

GM Aleksandra Goryachkina is the 2025 Women's World Rapid Champion after winning on blitz tiebreaks against GM Zhu Jiner, who had good chances to win the tournament outright herself. GM Humpy Koneru also finished the tournament on 8.5/11, but she missed out on the tiebreaks because her tiebreak score was lower than that of Goryachkina and Zhu. Finishing in fourth, fifth, and sixth were IM Savitha Shri B, GM Vaishali Ramesbabu, and IM Ekaterina Atalik, respectively.

Women's Standings

Women's Round 9

WGM Afruza Khamdamova vs. GM Aleksandra Goryachkina

WGM Afruza Khamdamova vs. GM Aleksandra Goryachkina; photo: Lennart Ootes

GM Aleksandra Goryachkina was posing important positional questions to WGM Afruza Khamdamova right from the start, eventually forcing her to concede space on the kingside as Goryachkina's pawns rolled forward. From that point onward, Khamdamova was never really in the game and lost a rather one-sided game.

GM Lei Tingjie vs. GM Nino Batsiashvili

GM Lei Tingjie handed GM Nino Batsiashvili her first loss of the tournament, brilliantly sacrificing a rook on move 24 after she had pushed her pawns down the queenside a few moves prior.

WGM Bat-Erdene Mungunzul vs. GM Harika Dronavalli

WGM Bat-Erdene Mungunzul played a topsy-turvy game against GM Harika Dronavalli where she was able to defend against Harika's kingside attack.

Women's Round 10

GM Aleksandra Goryachkina vs. WGM Bat-Erdene Mungunzul

With five players on 7/9, namely, GM Aleksandra Goryachkina, WGM Bat-Erdene Mungunzul, GM Lei Tingjie, GM Zhu Jiner, and GM Humpy Koneru, the game between GM Aleksandra Goryachkina and WGM Bat-Erdene Mungunzul was shaping up to be a very important game for the standings. Fortunately for Goryachkina, Mungunzul's Pirc Defense did not go her way at all as she was significantly worse already by move 8.

GM Humpy Koneru vs. GM Lei Tingjie

Defending rapid champion GM Humpy Koneru kept herself in the running for the 2025 Women's World Rapid title as she turned her worse endgame position around, first equalizing and then profiting off a blunder by GM Lei Tingjie.

GM Kateryna Lagno vs. GM Zhu Jiner

GM Kateryna Lagno's 4. Nh3 in the von der Lasa Gambit is a novelty, but perhaps not one that will be repeated. GM Zhu Jiner was better for much of the game against Lagno, but it was not the opening to blame as Lagno blundered in the middlegame, then, after Zhu failed to convert her position, again in the endgame, allowing a picturesque finish with 48...Ng3!.

Women's Round 11

GM Zhu Jiner vs. GM Tan Zhongyi

GM Zhu Jiner vs. GM Tan Zhongyi; photo: Lennart Ootes

With three players on 8/10, namely, GM Zhu Jiner, GM Aleksandra Goryachkina, and GM Humpy Koneru, and two players on 7.5/10, namely, IM Savitha Shri B and IM Ekaterina Atalik, a win would be much coveted at this stage of the tournament. GM Zhu Jiner had an excellent chance to make that dream a reality, but, alas, she could not convert her piece-up position, which would have in fact, due to the results on the other two boards, have won her the 2025 Women's World Rapid title.

IM Ekaterina Atalik vs. GM Aleksandra Goryachkina

GM Aleksandra Goryachkina survived a scary position against IM Ekaterina Atalik, who, with a win, would have actually tied for first with GM Zhu Jiner and GM Humpy Koneru. 30. Bd4 was the engine-mandated winning attempt; instead, trading pawns with 30. Rxa6 allowed an equal endgame to arise.

IM Savitha Shri B vs. GM Humpy Koneru

IM Savitha Shri B vs. GM Humpy Koneru; photo: Lennart Ootes

In a back-and-forth game, GM Humpy Koneru also had a golden opportunity to win the 2025 Women's World Rapid title, drawing what was a technically winning endgame with two extra pawns.

Women's Blitz Tiebreak: GM Aleksandra Goryachkina vs. GM Zhu Jiner

GM Aleksandra Goryachkina; photo: Lennart Ootes

With three players on 8.5/11, it was only GM Aleksandra Goryachkina and GM Zhu Jiner who would end up playing the tiebreaks because the rules stipulate that only the two best finishers, as determined by their tiebreak scores, would play tiebreak games.

Game 1

GM Aleksandra Goryachkina started off well, comfortably improving a slightly better Ruy Lopez position against GM Zhu Jiner. After winning an important queenside pawn, the result was never in question, and only precision was required.

Game 2

Needing a win, Zhu opted to play a creative and rare setup at the highest levels of chess: the Nimzo-Larsen Attack, with 4. f4 as a followup. Her winning attempt almost paid off as she had a large advantage on move 33. Unfortunately for Zhu, she could not find the right continuation and had to settle for a draw, which was equivalent to a loss, so she played on, eventually drawing anyway after Goryachkina forced a draw.