WR Chess wins 2025 FIDE World Blitz Team Championship, defends title without Magnus Carlsen
The 2025 FIDE World Blitz Team Championship saw WR Chess defend its title in dominant fashion, powered by a star-studded line-up that included Hikaru Nakamura, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Alireza Firouzja, Wesley So, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.
Its strength across the boards proved too much for the competition as it swept through the knockout stages to claim gold.
Arjun Erigaisi’s Team MGD1, fresh from a triumphant gold-winning run in the Rapid section with a near-perfect record, couldn’t replicate that success in Blitz.
Despite strong performances — most notably from Erigaisi, who secured a bronze board prize on Board 1 — it faltered in the Blitz knockout rounds and missed out on a medal.
Team Freedom, led by Viswanathan Anand, fell short too. After a solid Rapid showing that saw it tied for third place, it advanced from its Blitz pool but couldn’t break through in the knockouts.
A messy moment
The quarterfinals produced major drama as Team Germany and Friends shocked WR Chess 4-2; Nepomniachtchi, Nakamura, and Firouzja all lost.
However, WR Chess appealed, citing unclear communication about the start time, which left several of their players late. After over an hour of deliberation, the appeal was upheld, and the match was replayed.
WR Chess made the most of its second chance, winning 4.5-1.5 and 4-2, with Firouzja scoring twice.
Both teams acknowledged the controversy, with Nepomniachtchi calling the situation a mess and no outcome fully satisfying. Team Germany and Friends had considered not playing, but ultimately chose to continue.
Despite the blip, WR Chess proved too strong overall, reaffirming its status as the team to beat even without its maverick leader, Magnus Carlsen, who had guided it to the title last year.
Standings:
- WR Chess – 8
- KazChess – 6
- Hexamind – 6