Havana, December 30 (JIT)-- Norwegian Magnus Carlsen does not have enough fingers to count his world titles, a figure that grew in the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship of Samarkand 2023, in Uzbekistan.
The Nordic player, who had won the rapid duels on Friday, celebrated today in the blitz joust.
He jocularly celebrated his new success through the social network X... I need more hands," he said after winning his seventh blitz title and seventeenth in total, counting the classical and rapid duels.
His most recent consecration was completed with 16 points out of a possible 21, in a tournament that left interesting details for history.
After Carlsen, who only lost one game to the French Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, the podium was taken by the Russians Daniil Dubov (15.5 points) and Vladislav Artemiev (15), in that order.
The most significant anecdote involved Dubov and his fellow world runner-up in classical games, Ian Nepomnichtchi, in what is already known as the "dance of the horses".
It turns out that, with no apparent explanation, they decided to agree a draw in only 13 moves, curiously played with the knights. Faced with such a situation, the main arbiter of the tournament, Ivan Syrovy, considered it as a pantomime that discredits the Science Game and sanctioned the players, who did not agree to the corresponding half-unit.
Syrovy applied articles 11.1 and 12.9.5 of the Rules of Chess. His decision was appealed by both players, but the decision was upheld.
A total of 206 players took part in the match, played in games of three minutes plus two seconds increment after each move.
Child prodigies faced established players and favorites for the podium finished below expectations. It was clear once again that Blitz remains among the variants that most attract chess followers.
In the women's segment, the Russian Gunina Valentina achieved the highest accumulated in the 17 rounds played. She completed 14 units and relegated the representative of Switzerland, the Russian Alexandra Kosteniuk (13.5 points), and the Chinese Jiner Zhu (12.5 points), to the second and third positions, in that order.
Kazakhstan's Bibisara Assaubayeva, winner in 2021 and 2022, had to settle for sixth place with only 11.5 points.
Carlsen (10 points out of a possible 13) and the Russian Anastasia Bodnaruk, who defeated the Indian Humpy Koneru in a tiebreaker match, reached the world throne of rapid games.
