World Chess Championships: Magnus Carlsen Set to Defend Titles in Doha
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The highly anticipated FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships are kicking off in Doha, Qatar, on December 26. World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, the top seed in both Open Rapid and Open Blitz, is expected to dominate the tournament. Carlsen has won the rapid title five times and the world blitz title eight times, including a shared title in 2024. India's hopes lie with Arjun Erigaisi, the country's top-rated classical chess player, who is seeded eighth in rapid and ninth in blitz. Fabiano Caruana is another strong contender, ranked fourth in rapid and seventh in blitz. The rapid section will take place on December 26, while the blitz tournament will be held from December 29-30. Indian viewers can catch the live streaming on FIDE's official YouTube channel, but there will be no live telecast. Carlsen's impressive record, with a rating of 2824 in rapid and 2881 in blitz, makes him a strong favorite to retain his titles. However, the emergence of a new generation of super-GMs could shake things up in the tournament.
