12/30/2019 – It was a memorable final day of action at the World Blitz Championships in Moscow! Magnus Carlsen arrived as sole leader, but was caught up by an inspired Hikaru Nakamura. Two extra games were played to decide the champion, and the Norwegian prevailed. Carlsen won his third world blitz title and became the world champion in all three formats — classical, rapid and blitz! In the women's section, Kateryna Lagno defended her title from 2018. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
new: ChessBase Magazine 225
Chess Festival Prague 2025 with analyses by Aravindh, Giri, Gurel, Navara and others. ‘Special’: 27 highly entertaining miniatures. Opening videos by Werle, King and Ris. 10 opening articles with new repertoire ideas and much more. ChessBase Magazine offers first-class training material for club players and professionals! World-class players analyse their brilliant games and explain the ideas behind the moves. Opening specialists present the latest trends in opening theory and exciting ideas for your repertoire. Master trainers in tactics, strategy and endgames show you the tricks and techniques you need to be a successful tournament player! Available as a direct download (incl. booklet as pdf file) or booklet with download key by post. Included in delivery: ChessBase Magazine #225 as “ChessBase Book” for iPad, tablet, Mac etc.!
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With the moves d4-Nf3-e3-Bd3 White aims for simple piece development and to slowly build up a devastating attack on the kingside!
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Lagno still the queen of blitz
It was all Magnus Carlsen in 2019! The Norwegian star came from a 2018 in which he had won the World Championship title in London and the World Blitz Championship at the end of the year (he finished a half point behind Daniil Dubov in the Rapid). When things seemed all but impossible to improve for the ultra-talent from Tønsberg, he went on to obtain a host of tournament wins and get the triple crown the very next time he got a chance!
A remarkable 2019: ten super tournament victories, sitting on three thrones once again (classical, rapid, blitz), an unprecedented streak of three consecutive world blitz titles, a streak of 107 games without a loss, and a Ragnar Lothbrok-like beard in progress. pic.twitter.com/cWTNLmdPG4
But there was no lack of drama in Moscow. Hikaru Nakamura and Vladimir Kramnik had remarkable runs of good results to put extra pressure on the leader. After beating Kramnik in round 18, Carlsen faced 16-year-old Alireza Firouzja, who ended up losing on time after failing to convert a winning position (there was a huge controversy involved though — Sagar Shah sent a detailed video explaining what went on). The all-important half point left Carlsen in the sole lead, but did not prevent Nakamura from catching up with him thanks to back-to-back wins in the final two rounds!
Thus, Carlsen and Nakamura tied for first place on 16½/21 and, although prize money was distributed evenly (each received USD 55,000), the title had to be decided in tiebreaks. After drawing game one with Black, Carlsen scored the win he needed to close a remarkable year with yet another triumph.
Vladimir Kramnik won the bronze medal after scoring six wins and a single loss in the final day of action. Let us not forget that the Russian is currently retired from classical chess.
Meanwhile, Kateryna Lagno began the day with a full-point advantage over a four-player chasing pack, but a loss against Alisa Galliamova in round 13 meant she had to suffer a bit before getting the title. In fact, she reached the final round tied with Anna Muzychuk atop the standings table. Lagno drew Antoaneta Stefanova with the white pieces, while Muzychuk fell against Tan Zhongyi. Muzychuk got the silver nonetheless, while Tan Zhongyi clinched the bronze with her last round win.
Lagno defended the Women's World Blitz title she had obtained in Saint Petersburg in 2018.
Replay the games with computer analysis. Full report will be published shortly.
The rapid event
Magnus Carlsen and Humpy Koneru were crowned 2019 World Rapid Champions in Moscow. Carlsen all but secured first place with a round to spare, and then confirmed it with a 22-move draw against Hikaru Nakamura. Humpy, on the other hand, caught up with Lei Tingjie in the final round after the latter lost against Ekaterina Atalik — the Indian star would then go on to beat Lei in the Armageddon phase of tiebreaks.
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Because there are only 17 rounds in the women's tournament, there is no round at 15.30, 16.00 or 16.30 (UTC) on Saturday or 14.00 (UTC) on Sunday. Otherwise the schedule is the same for both tournaments.
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
In this volume, we dive into core aspects of chess technique. Smyslov taught the principle of tactical hierarchy, “checks, double attacks, and unprotected pieces”, and Mikhalchishin demonstrates how this method of calculation is vital.
Videos: Nico Zwirs examines two Petroffs from the 2026 Candidates. Robert Ris has a tip against the Caro-Kann Advance Variation with 3…c5. Fiona Sieber reveals a surprise weapon against the Najdorf. ‘Lucky Bag’ with 40 analyses by Ganguly, L'Ami et al.
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
In this powerful new course, endgame expert Karsten Müller teams up with rising star Leon Mendonca to deliver what truly matters: 10 essential rules that every player must know.
In this video course experts examine the games of Bent Larsen. Let them show you which openings Larsen chose, where his strength in middlegames were, how he outplayed his opponents in the endgame & you’ll get a glimpse of his tactical abilities!
From the 2026 Candidates Tournament, featuring a video review by Dorian Rogozenco, to Jan Werle’s opening video on the French Tarrasch Defence, and Oliver Reeh’s tactical column ‘Top Grandmasters at Work’. Analyses by Giri, So, Wei Yi and many others.
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