World Champion once again: WR Chess Team’s latest triumph

The 2024 FIDE World Blitz Team Championship in Astana marks the second consecutive world team title for the WR Chess Team after winning the FIDE Rapid Team Championship in 2023.

The tournament, which saw 40 top teams from around the world compete, began with an intense pool stage. WR Chess quickly established itself as the team to beat in Pool A, where they faced off against strong teams. Led by two-time World Championship challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi, WR Chess won their key match against GMHans.com, cementing their place at the top of the pool.

After Wadim Rosenstein hadn’t been at his best during the Rapid tournament, he returned to great form in the Blitz Championship. In the pool stage, Rosenstein scored 3,5 points out of 6 games, significantly helping his team to become clear first and thus proceed to the knockout.

In the knockout stage, WR Chess continued their dominance, defeating Mongolia’s Hunnu Air easily in the first round. The quarterfinal brought a rematch against GMHans.com, where WR Chess once again prevailed, this time with a decisive 5.5:0.5 win.

The semi-finals presented a grudge match against Chessy. Magnus Carlsen, who joined the WR Chess Team in 2024, led his team to victory, avenging his earlier loss to Richard Rapport and securing a spot in the final.

Two times they have battled for the World Chess Championship. In the WR Chess Team, Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi play side by side. | Foto: Ruslan Mazunin/FIDE

On the other side of the bracket, MGD1 from India, featuring top players like Arjun Erigaisi and Vidit Gujrathi, made their way to the final by defeating strong teams such as Ashdod Chess Club and World Rapid winners Al-Ain ACMG. Their road was marked by impressive wins, particularly a 5.5:0.5 victory over Al-Ain in the semi-finals.

The final between WR Chess and MGD1 was a dramatic affair. In the first round, Carlsen suffered a rare defeat to Erigaisi. However, WR Chess struck back, winning on three out of the remaining four boards to take the first round 3.5:2.5. The second round was equally tense. Nepomniachtchi gave WR Chess an early lead, and though Narayanan won for MGD1, Alexandra Kosteniuk’s victory over Harika Dronavalli gave WR Chess the edge.

WR Chess Coach Jan Gustafsson and Former World Women’s Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk receive the winner’s trophy.

It all came down to the final board, where Carlsen once again faced Erigaisi. Needing only a draw to secure the title, Carlsen played aggressively and managed to win, securing WR Chess’s victory with a 3:3 tie in the second round.