ASTANA — The FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships 2024 concluded in Astana. Last year’s World Rapid winners, the WR Chess Team, led by Magnus Carlsen, claimed victory in Blitz on Aug. 5.
WR Chess Team, led by Magnus Carlsen, claimed victory in Blitz on Aug. 5. Photo credit: worldrapidblitzteams.fide.com
This year’s event marked the debut of The World Blitz Team Championship alongside the World Rapid. The intense one-day event featured 40 teams competing for the title and a prize fund of 100,000 euros. WR Chess Team emerged victorious, defeating the MGD1 team, which secured second place.
The Blitz Championship comprised a pool stage, followed by a knockout stage. With a time control of three minutes plus a two-second increment per move, 16 out of 40 advanced to the playoffs.
The finals of the World Blitz Team Championship. WR Chess Team against the MGD1. Photo credit: worldrapidblitzteams.fide.com
The WR Chess Team boasted a lineup of multiple world champions and top-ranked players, including Magnus Carlsen, Hou Yifan, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Vincent Keymer and Wadim Rosenstein, a founder of WR Group Holding GmbH.
“This was a really tough match. My team helped me out when I failed against Arjun Erigaisi in the first game. In the second game, I messed up the opening, but I felt like I had to win somehow. It turned out well. At that moment, adrenaline took over, and I was really focused. It was what we needed, considering the circumstances in Rapid,” said Carlsen in an interview with FIDE press.
The Indian squad of MGD1 came to Astana with a similar lineup in the World Rapid Team in 2023, where they won bronze in Dusseldorf. Despite finishing fifth in this year’s Rapid event, they excelled in the Blitz, reaching the finals by defeating the local team Astana-2 and overcoming World Rapid winners Al-Ain in the playoffs.
Apart from team medals, individual players were recognized for their performance in the Rapid. Magnus Carlsen took the gold for best performance on the first board, Erigaisi took silver, and the World Champion Ding Liren from Decade China took bronze.
The Kazakhstan Chess Federation, under the auspices of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), hosted the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Club Championships in Astana from Aug. 1 to 5.
The team tournament was held at the Astana Convention Center. The FIDE World Team Rapid and Blitz Championships opening ceremony took place on Aug. 1 at the Astana Amphitheater. It was combined with the torch-lighting ceremony of the 45th Chess Olympiad, dedicated to FIDE’s 100th anniversary. The Olympic Flame arrived in Kazakhstan in May from Morocco and will now head to the UAE.
