Chess, rapid chess, blitz chess: In each form of play, the thinking time becomes shorter. But scene star Carlsen can do even better. At the World Blitz Championship in Kazakhstan, he is late from a PR appointment and has only about 30 seconds left on the clock. No reason not to win.
Chess star Magnus Carlsen almost missed his opening game at the World Blitz Championship in Kazakhstan. The day after his renewed triumph at the World Rapid Championship, the Norwegian in sweatpants and a hoodie rushed minutes after the originally scheduled start of the encounter against Belarusian Vladislav Kovalyov, as Norwegian media footage showed. With only about 30 seconds left on the clock, he made his first move – and still won the game.
“It was my mistake, I was stuck in traffic,” Carlsen told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. According to the broadcaster, the 32-year-old had previously been on a ski tour organized by the organizer in the mountains. The newspaper “Verdens Gang” has already described the incident as a “jogging pants drama”. In his next game, Carlsen sat at the board again in his jacket.
Carlsen won the rapid chess title for the fourth time in his career on Wednesday, with the young German professional Vincent Keymer coming second. The Norwegian is now chasing his sixth world blitz chess title in Almaty, Kazakhstan.