The 2025 FIDE World Rapid Championships concluded in Doha with familiar dominance at the top and a significant breakthrough for Indian chess.
Magnus Carlsen reaffirmed his status as the game’s greatest rapid specialist by clinching his sixth World Rapid title, while India’s Arjun Erigaisi produced a career-defining performance to win the bronze medal in the Open section — a rare feat achieved by only one Indian before him.
Carlsen finished the tournament on 10.5 points from 13 rounds, a full point clear of the chasing pack. It was a victory built on resilience as much as brilliance. After an uncharacteristic stumble on the second day, the Norwegian responded in emphatic fashion on the final day, winning three consecutive games against Alexey Sarana, Hans Niemann and Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus. That surge gave him a commanding lead heading into the final round.
With a one-point cushion over Vladislav Artemiev and Hans Niemann, Carlsen opted for pragmatism in the last round, securing a quick draw with White against Anish Giri to seal the title. It added another chapter to a remarkable record that now includes World Rapid crowns in 2014, 2015, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2025.
Reflecting on his triumph, Carlsen pointed to the psychological edge that separates him from the rest of the field. “I play for first place when I’m here,” he said. “Most others are thinking about prizes or medals. That gives me a huge advantage.” He also admitted that barring his poor start on day two, the tournament had gone almost perfectly according to plan.
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Behind Carlsen, the fight for the remaining podium places was fiercely contested. Four players finished on 9.5 points Artemiev, Erigaisi, Niemann and Leinier Dominguez Perez. Artemiev, the only player to defeat Carlsen in the event, claimed the silver medal on tie-breaks. The bronze went to Arjun Erigaisi, who edged out Niemann and Dominguez by the narrowest of margins on Buchholz tie-breaks.
For Indian chess, Erigaisi’s bronze carries deep historical significance. The 21-year-old from Warangal became only the second Indian male player after Viswanathan Anand to win a medal in the Open section of the World Rapid Championship. Overall, he is just the fourth Indian to medal at the event, joining Anand, Koneru Humpy and IM Savitha Shri B.
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Erigaisi’s tournament was defined by consistency and resilience. He finished with eight wins, three draws and just two losses, against Artemiev and the teenage Turkish prodigy Erdogmus. A painful loss to Erdogmus in Round 12 briefly ended his title hopes, but the Indian grandmaster responded in style, winning his final-round game against Aleksandr Shimanov to force his way onto the podium.
Notably, Erigaisi held Carlsen to a draw in their head-to-head encounter and finished ahead of elite names such as Niemann and Dominguez. His performance also propelled him to World No. 3 in the live rapid ratings, with a rating of 2746.6, underlining his growing stature in faster formats. India ended the World Rapid Championships with two bronze medals, with Koneru Humpy finishing third in the women’s section.
In a strong overall showing, Savitha Shri B placed fourth, Vaishali Rameshbabu finished fifth, and Divya Deshmukh ended eighth, highlighting the depth of Indian women’s chess on the global stage.
In the women’s championship, the title went to Aleksandra Goryachkina, who edged past Zhu Jiner in a blitz playoff after both players finished tied at the top. Goryachkina’s calm under pressure proved decisive, earning her the World Rapid crown in a tightly fought contest. Beyond the medal, Erigaisi’s bronze also brings tangible rewards. His podium finish has secured him a quota for the pilot event of the Total Chess World Championship Tour, scheduled for October next year another step towards consistent participation at the very top tier of elite global chess.
As the focus now shifts to the World Blitz Championships, India’s attention will once again be on Erigaisi, whose Doha performance signals the arrival of a new standard-bearer.
While Carlsen’s dominance remains intact, the rise of players like Arjun Erigaisi suggests that the next phase of world chess will be defined by fierce challenges from a new generation — one that is no longer content with participation, but firmly set on the podium.
