GM Magnus Carlsen survived and then won a dead-lost position against GM Fabiano Caruana on the way to a 2.5-1.5 victory in the 2026 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship Final. A nervous draw in the final game means Carlsen is the Rapid, Blitz, and now Freestyle Chess World Champion, and he’s won 21 titles across his career. GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov snatched third place, defeating GM Vincent Keymer 2.5-1.5 in a match of missed chances for the German star.Â
GM Hans Niemann overpowered GM Arjun Erigaisi 2-0 to take fifth place, while GM Levon Aronian took seventh place despite missing mate-in-one in a wild armageddon decider against GM Javokhir Sindarov. GM Bibisara Assaubayeva won the exhibition match 2.5-1.5 with a win and draw on the final day against GM Alexandra Kosteniuk, in the process booking a spot in the upcoming Women’s FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship.
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The incredible turnaround win in game three was ultimately all that divided Carlsen and Caruana, while a single win was also enough for Abdusattorov to overcome Keymer.
Upper Bracket
Niemann scored a clean sweep against Arjun to win fifth place, while Aronian defeated Sindarov in armageddon to take seventh place.
Lower Bracket
Our Game of the Day has to be the third game of the title match, when Carlsen blundered and admitted he could just have resigned. Instead he dug in and somehow turned it all around, breaking Caruana’s heart in the process.
Magnus Carlsen wins a dead lost position vs. Fabiano Caruana and is now a draw away from winning a 21st World Championship title! https://t.co/yKPWuk36gr pic.twitter.com/qJWukA4MeX
— chess24 (@chess24com) February 15, 2026
GM Rafael Leitao has analyzed the game below.
How To Rewatch
The 2026 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship ran February 13-15 at the Weissenhaus Private Nature Luxury Resort in Germany. The prize fund was $300,000, with a $100,000 first prize. The event began with an eight-player round-robin at a 10+5 time control, with only the top-four players going on to battle for the title in a knockout, while the remaining players competed for 5th-8th place. All knockout matches were played over four 25+10 games, with a single armageddon game deciding a tie. All games were played in the freestyle chess variant.
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