The 2023 FIDE World Blitz and Women's World Blitz championships concluded Saturday, December 30 after two days and 21 rounds (17 for the women's section) of blitz with two familiar champions.
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Magnus Carlsen grabbed his 17th World Championship title the 7th in blitz by scoring 16/21 points at the World Blitz event in Samarkand. After losing his first game of the day, against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Carlsen grabbed six wins in a row to retake the sole lead. Two draws in the final rounds allowed him to outscore Daniil Dubov by a half point. In the women’s championship, Valentina Gunina got outright victory thanks to a final-round win over Anna Muzychuk. Alexandra Kosteniuk came close to catching the eventual champion, but fell just short and took the silver medal. | Photo: FIDE / Anastasia Korolkova
There was no shortage of controversy on day 1 of the World Blitz Championships in Samarkand. A dispute regarding an alleged clock malfunction delayed the start of round 7 by close to an hour, while a 13-move draw featuring only knight moves between Daniil Dubov and Ian Nepomniachtchi resulted in both players losing a half point as their encounter, according to the Chief Arbiter, would “bring the game of chess into disrepute”. Meanwhile, Valentina Gunina got a 1½-point lead in the women’s tournament after finishing day 1 with an astonishing 8½/9 score. | Photo: chess.com / Maria Emelianova
World Blitz Chess Championship Day 1: Dubov, Nepo Punished As Carlsen Shares Lead; Gunina Dazzles With 8 5/9 independantexpress.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from independantexpress.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.