Three Tough Days in Hong Kong for WR Chess
The top-seeded team arrived in Hong Kong chasing the rapid title that has eluded them since their win in 2023. Three difficult days and a four-game losing streak for Magnus Carlsen later, WR Chess heads into the blitz championship looking for a quick response.
The fourth edition of the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championship opened on June 17, drawing nearly 50 teams and almost 400 players to the Queen Elizabeth Stadium. WR Chess fielded a stacked lineup: Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and Jan-Krzysztof Duda at the top boards, Aleksandra Goryachkina and Alexandra Kosteniuk alternating on the women's board, and chairman Wadim Rosenstein sharing the amateur board with Zandanshatar Gombojav, Mongolia's prime minister until earlier this year.
From Business Potential to a Personal Pilgrimage
One day before the opening round, WR Chess held its own press conference at the Rosewood Hotel, where chairman Wadim Rosenstein sat alongside Magnus Carlsen and the rest of the team. Rosenstein spoke about what Hong Kong could mean for chess going forward. He pointed to the city's economic strength as fertile ground for new sponsors, called it a natural logistical hub for international tournaments, and said he hoped to return given how easy the city is to reach and how welcoming it had been.
Press conference with (from left) Zandanshatar Gombojav, Magnus Carlsen, Wadim Rosenstein and special guest Javokhir Sindarov, the World Championship Challenger 2026.
Carlsen, on the same occasion, brought up a piece of family history. His wife was born in Hong Kong 28 years ago, on June 23, 1998, the same day Norway beat Brazil 2-1 at the World Cup in France, a day still etched into Norwegian memory as one of the country's great sporting moments. For Carlsen, the coincidence made the trip feel like something of a pilgrimage. Hong Kong, however, had no sporting success in store for him. The three days that followed would turn into one of the toughest stretches of his career.
A Strong Start, Then a Setback
The opening day began well, with a 5-1 win in round one. Round two told a different story: despite a clear rating advantage on paper, WR Chess fell to Chessnut Nova 2-4. The team recovered to win its remaining matches and closed day one in fifth place.
Carlsen's Toughest Stretch
Day two proved harder. Carlsen lost back-to-back games, first to Arjun Erigaisi of defending champions Team MGD1, then to Shant Sargsyan. Team captain Jan Gustafsson summed up the mood afterward: "We just barely won and Magnus lost two in a row, so it's not easy for anybody. This is such a strong tournament with so many good teams, and we didn't win the rapid the last two years, so we're trying to hang in there, but it's a challenge." WR Chess slipped to 11th place by the end of the day, even with strong results elsewhere in the lineup from Caruana and So.
Legends were clashing when Magnus Carlsen played former world number two Vasyl Ivanchuk.
A 17th-Place Finish
The final day brought no turnaround. Carlsen lost twice more, to Javokhir Sindarov and Aydin Suleymanli, his fourth defeat in a row for the first time since he was twelve years old. WR Chess closed out the tournament in 17th place. Gold went to Dragon Chilling, who edged out Team MGD1 and Hexamind Chess Team on tiebreak after all three finished level on points.
It was a result well below what the lineup suggested on paper. Several players put it in perspective afterward. Wesley So, writing on social media, called it an honor to share the board with Carlsen and Caruana all week, said he'd enjoyed his time with the rest of the squad, and thanked Rosenstein for backing the team and fighting hard in every match.
The blitz championship begins Saturday, and WR Chess returns as two-time defending champion, chasing a third title in a row.
Nearly 50 teams and almost 400 players: the playing hall in Hong Kong.
