Magnus Carlsen defeated Alireza Firouzja 15-12 to claim his fifth Speed Chess Championship title in London. The 35-year-old Norwegian secured $25,000 and qualification for the Esports World Cup. This victory marks the tenth edition of the chess.com tournament.
The world's top-ranked chess player, Magnus Carlsen, triumphed in the Speed Chess Championship (SCC) Finals on February 8, 2026, at 180 Studios in London's Strand district. Facing a rematch from last year's final, Carlsen, aged 35 from Norway, outscored 22-year-old Iranian-French challenger Alireza Firouzja 15-12 in the esports-style event. This win adds to Carlsen's five SCC titles over the tournament's ten-year history, tying him with Hikaru Nakamura.
The final four, held in person for only the second time after Paris in 2024, featured three phases of blitz and bullet chess. The first 90 minutes allowed five minutes per player plus one-second increments per move, followed by one hour at three minutes plus increments, and 30 minutes at one minute plus increments. Wins earned one point, draws half a point.
In the third-place match, 19-year-old Belarusian Denis Lazavik edged out 38-year-old American Nakamura 13.5-12.5. Carlsen, Firouzja, and Lazavik earned automatic spots in the Esports World Cup, where chess debuted last year with Carlsen defeating Firouzja in the final.
Carlsen reflected on the format's appeal, telling The Athletic: “I certainly believe that what we’re playing this weekend is more of the future than longer chess tournaments.” He added, “We’re moving more to entertainment and attention spans are shorter. I believe faster chess is a purer form of chess because you cannot mask your weaknesses in the same way when you have very little reaction time. In longer formats, you can rely on opening preparation, and then kind of calculating your way out of trouble and not really relying on understanding and instincts in the same way.”
Notably, Carlsen relinquished his Classical World Championship title in 2023 after five wins, citing motivation issues. Attendees included Fulham's Antonee Robinson and Arsenal's Eberechi Eze. The event streamed on chess.com to tens of thousands of viewers.
