Magnus Carlsen Wins in Zagreb – His Sixth Straight Tournament Victory

Carlsen, meanwhile, seemed off his game, unable to find the usual precision and rhythm. Honestly—I wanted to see him turn it around, but did I really believe he would? Not really. It felt like this might be one of those tournaments that just got away from him.

But then the blitz games came, and with them, a completely different Magnus. On the first day of the blitz section, he sat down at the board and made it immediately clear this was going to be something else. He played fast, sharp, and confidently. Scoring 7.5 points out of 9, he sent a clear signal to the rest of the field: the fight for first place was anything but over. On the second day, he switched gears into a more controlled approach, adding five more points from nine games and securing overall victory with a round to spare.

Wesley So proved his typical reliability and strong blitz skills to climb into second place with 20 points overall. Gukesh, who had looked like the clear favourite after the rapid section, ultimately finished third with 19.5 points. Even so, he once again demonstrated that he belongs among the very best in this tough field.

fter the event, Carlsen admitted he knew from the morning that it was going to be a hard day. He was frank about the fact that the first day of blitz games had been the decisive factor. And he was right—that was where he laid the foundation for his win. It was a classic demonstration of his vast experience and his talent for making the most of the critical moment.

Much of the talk during the tournament centred on whether he might challenge Vladimir Fedoseev’s stunning record from Warsaw earlier this year. Fedoseev had delivered an extraordinary performance there, finishing with 26.5 points out of 36 overall and setting a new blitz record with 15.5 out of 18. After Carlsen’s dominant first day of blitz in Zagreb, it seemed he might have a real chance to beat that, but his second day wasn’t quite at the same level, and Fedoseev’s record ultimately remained intact.

Even so, Carlsen’s victory in Zagreb is his sixth tournament win in a row this season. And even though we’ve watched him for years and think there’s nothing left that can surprise us, he always finds a way. After that shaky rapid section, it genuinely looked like he was in trouble—but just a few days later, he was smiling and holding another winner’s trophy. That’s Carlsen for you.