After his four-tournament winning streak ended with a third-place finish at the Chess 960 Grenke Freestyle tournament, Carlsen reaffirmed his status as the world's number one player at the Chesscom Open. The 35-year-old had a perfect warm-up before returning to his first standard chess tournament in nearly a year at TePe Sigeman, scheduled from 1/5 to 7/5.

The Chesscom Open 2026 took place online from 14/3 to 26/4. This event, the world's largest open chess tournament, featured an initial qualifier open to all players, a titled player qualifier, Play-Ins, and finally a double-elimination bracket with 16 players. The total prize fund reached 250,000 USD, along with three spots in the Esports World Cup 2026.

In the double-elimination bracket, where players are eliminated after two losses, Carlsen remained undefeated to reach the final. There, he unexpectedly lost to Jan-Krzysztof Duda 0,5-2,5. Consequently, the two players had to play an additional match to determine the winner. In that rematch, Carlsen won both games against Duda, securing first place and 50,000 USD. Duda received 35,000 USD.

World number one player Magnus Carlsen. Photo: Chess.

Carlsen later stated he was not overly concerned going into the decisive match. He felt Duda had not truly dominated the first final. Carlsen recalled a similar match against Duda in the Champions Chess Tour 2022, where he also lost the initial final but won the rematch.

In game one of the rematch, Carlsen, playing with white pieces, applied characteristic pressure in an equal endgame. In the decisive phase, Carlsen had 43 seconds remaining, while Duda had only 11 seconds when the turning point occurred. Duda spotted a tactic but lacked the time to calculate three moves ahead. This led to both Duda's bishop and rook being threatened with capture.

In game two, Duda created opportunities in a complex Italian game. Carlsen even considered exchanging his queen for two minor pieces and a pawn. Duda held an advantage at several points but, due to time pressure, could not capitalize on it. Carlsen equalized the position and ultimately won on time in an otherwise balanced game. For Duda, at that point, a draw or a loss amounted to the same outcome.

Carlsen called it a "fun tournament" because the absence of an increment (added seconds) after each move made everything completely different. "There were many times I tried to think, then realized I would lose on time, so I had to change things a bit", he said about his strategy.

Carlsen also confirmed he played the tournament on a tablet. This is unusual at such a high level, as playing without a mouse makes critical time situations even more challenging. "I didn't really plan to play this tournament until the last few days", he revealed. "I don't have a laptop here, and I didn't want to use my wife's stuff".

Xuan Binh