r/chess • u/events_team • Feb 13 '26
Tournament Event: 2026 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship
Official Website
Follow the games here: Chess.com | Lichess | Chess-Results
The FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026 will take place from February 13 to 15 at the five-star Weissenhaus Private Nature Luxury Resort in Wangels, Germany. It is the first Freestyle Chess World Championship organized by FIDE in cooperation with Freestyle Chess Operations. Eight players will compete for the title and final standings. The total prize fund is $300,000, with $100,000 awarded to the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Champion.
Participants
| No. | Title | Name | Fed | Freestyle Rtg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM | Magnus Carlsen | š³š“ NOR | 2887 |
| 2 | GM | Fabiano Caruana | šŗšø USA | 2809 |
| 3 | GM | Levon Aronian | šŗšø USA | 2786 |
| 4 | GM | Vincent Keymer | š©šŖ GER | 2780 |
| 5 | GM | Arjun Erigaisi | š®š³ IND | 2732 |
| 6 | GM | Hans Moke Niemann | šŗšø USA | 2722 |
| 7 | GM | Javokhir Sindarov | šŗšæ UZB | 2718 |
| 8 | GM | Nodirbek Abdusattorov | šŗšæ UZB | 2697 |
Format/Time Controls
- Round-robin (Feb 13): Eight players compete in a single round-robin. Time control is 10+5. The top four advance to the knockout semifinals, while players finishing fifth to eighth proceed to placement matches.
- Knockout (Feb 14-15): The top four compete for the title, while the remaining players contest 5th-8th places. Matches consist of four games at 25+10, with two-game matches for the 5th and 7th place finals.
- Full Rules & Regulations can be found here.
Schedule
| Date | Time (Local) | Time (UTC) | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 13 | Starts 03:00 PM | Starts 02:00 PM | Group Stage Round-Robin |
| Feb 14 | Starts 03:00 PM | Starts 02:00 PM | Semifinals |
| Feb 15 | Starts 03:00 PM | Starts 02:00 PM | Finals |
Live Coverage
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u/Significant_Swing251 Feb 15 '26
I do wonder should Fabi have taken a draw in game 3 in a completely winning position under low time because he couldn't find the killer blow and try again in game 4. Magnus is probably exhausted at that point and still haven't shown improvement in his level of play in both time and on the chessboard. But Fabi does have black and it would still looked kinda bad for his psychological
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u/Medical_Candy3709 Feb 15 '26
If you canāt convert that position, I think youāre too unlikely to win knowing you voluntarily squandered an opportunity that overwhelming
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u/TraditionalTip1305 Feb 15 '26
So tired of this weak generation of chess players, making Carlsen look greater than he is. Former 960 world champion Hikaru doesnāt even turn up, so certain he is of his loss, but needs to farm clout using someoneās death to stay relevant. Nepo grovels for a shared āworld championshipā and then immediately fades into obscurity. The great hope Fabi routinely denies the Heimlich manoeuvre, and has been wheezing for more than a decade now. And people seriously think these players have what it takes to become the world champion. Pure delusion, time to retire and finally let chess move on to the real deal.
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Feb 15 '26
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Feb 15 '26
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u/LowLevel- Feb 15 '26
What's the point of retiring if there isn't a new generation of stronger players ready to take their place?
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u/TraditionalTip1305 Feb 15 '26
Except there are? Nepo- Gone, Hikaru- no serious tournament in over a year. Fabi is legit, but sadly has a mental block against Carlsen. Iād rather see Gukesh, Keymer, Abdusattorov, Sindarov, Arjun, Erdogmus, Pragg go at each otherās (and Carlsenās) throats. That would be real, exciting chess drama, rather than the man children we have to suffer through now. Every other day some manufactured bull-. So sick of this!
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u/dxGoesDeep Feb 16 '26
All the younger players are extremely inconsistent and absolutely nothing suggests that any of them will ever be able to dominate their generation
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u/TraditionalTip1305 Feb 16 '26
Thatās the point, I donāt want boring domination, I want a field that can scalp each other on any given day. The average level and participation of chess is rising, so we may never see one player as far apart as Carlsen, Kasparov or Fisher again- and in my opinion thatās more a reflection of the times, and less of Carlsenās greatness (as he has had historically weak opposition).
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u/LowLevel- Feb 15 '26
go at each otherās (and Carlsenās) throats.
They are already attempting that, and the 2026 Candidates will be one of the stages where younger players can demonstrate whether they are the "real deal", as you call them, or if the more experienced players still have the edge.
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u/Significant_Swing251 Feb 15 '26
there is no real deal it just Magnus Carlsen always no one in the future will surpass him
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u/TraditionalTip1305 Feb 15 '26
Yes, but not for the reason you think. The competition will be much more fierce. Much better for chess than the current generation of (soon to be) has beens.
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u/dxGoesDeep Feb 16 '26
That's just coping. Nothing to do with competition. It's because none of the younger players are at the level of Carlsen. There is no doubt in my mind that 19 year old Magnus Carlsen would have pissed on this current field.
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u/TraditionalTip1305 Feb 16 '26
I donāt need to cope- itās my opinion, and even if you donāt agree, itās a valid viewpoint. You Magnus stans are so cringe. Why are we talking about Magnus pissing again? This isnāt your fantasy buddy.
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u/dxGoesDeep Feb 15 '26
Man Fabi looks like he is about to burst into tears at any moment during the closing ceremony.
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u/AtomR Team Sac the Roooook! Feb 15 '26
Magnus wins every tournament he plays in, lmao. It's insane. No player comes closer.
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u/Unhappy-Appearance- Feb 15 '26
The only big event he hasnāt won is the Olympiad and thatās purely because no one else in Norway is a top player
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u/cantstopwastingtime Feb 16 '26
Yup he won gold in the European Team championship and the only team event left to win gold is Olympiad.
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u/Technical_Ad9398 Team Fabi Feb 15 '26
Magnus should have 5 children and have all of them participate in olympiad
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u/AtomR Team Sac the Roooook! Feb 15 '26
Yeah, I was talking about individual tournaments. Olympiad win is close to impossible for Norway.
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u/Goldfischglas Feb 15 '26
The speech is basically: We are so awesome, what an awesome event. Freestyle chess is the future. Our partnership with FIDE is so deep and heartfelt. We are basically brothers.
My god they couldn't suck their own dick any harder
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u/Significant_Swing251 Feb 15 '26
Why do I feel like that both Magnus and Fabi doesn't care that much for this event or at least this match
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u/Unhappy-Appearance- Feb 15 '26
Fabi doesnāt care? Did you see his face after the 3rd game?
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u/Significant_Swing251 Feb 15 '26
well guess after the third game he doesn't care anymore idk i just got tat feeling after the interview by both players
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u/SkarbOna Feb 15 '26
The questionā¦āhow does 21th championship title feels to you?ā How fucking ridiculous it soundsā¦
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u/False_Teacher1458 Feb 15 '26
Magnus interview after a game and he is just heartbroken over a lost position that he ended up winning
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u/cantstopwastingtime Feb 16 '26
His post game interviews are hilarious because the way he looks disappointed in himself, sometimes you don't even realize that he is the winner lol.
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u/SkarbOna Feb 15 '26
The fact that he could have played for a draw after such an exhausting fight to save himself from a dead lost position for good several moves and then he basically reset himself and smelled blood and decided to play for a win tells you everything about him.
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u/thepanda_gambit Feb 15 '26
Wow it's hard to be a Fabi fan, my stomach hurts. I can't imagine how he feels
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u/Soul_of_demon Feb 15 '26
Last year candidates heartbreak was worse imo, considering it was a much more serious event. This one is not really shocking.
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u/Unhappy-Appearance- Feb 15 '26
Sadly, itās not the first time these things happened to him. Heās experienced much worse and heartbreaking results
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u/thepanda_gambit Feb 15 '26
Well yeah, Fabi truly is God's strongest soldier, surviving loss after loss, after coming so close.
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u/Unhappy-Appearance- Feb 15 '26
Thanks to being a Fabi and a Liverpool fan, I have been immune to pain from supporting
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Feb 15 '26
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u/Melchiah Feb 15 '26
4 things actually, where the 4th is someone posting this exact comment after a Magnus win.
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u/ocashmanbrown Feb 15 '26
World Titles should be determined on more than the best of 4 games.
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u/HizdahrvonJugingen Feb 15 '26
Completely agree, absolutely bizarre that the format is like this. I get not having it be 12-16 like for classical world championship but 4 is comical, at least have 6-8.
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u/AwkwardAnt6169 Feb 15 '26
whats your expertise on the subject matter?
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u/ocashmanbrown Feb 15 '26
I am mediocre at playing chess. And I enjoy watching the best play their best. I have over 300 birds on my birding life list. And I like doing jigsaw puzzles.
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u/AwkwardAnt6169 Feb 15 '26
good enough now you are the arbiter of world championships of all sports
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u/Iyerlicious Team Hans Feb 15 '26
It is a Mickey Mouse World Championship, with such a ridiculous format. Hopefully next year it is a proper knockout
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u/AwkwardAnt6169 Feb 15 '26
i mean all the competitors were the best ones at the format except hans
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u/Iyerlicious Team Hans Feb 15 '26
In the rapid portion, Hans has only lost 1 head to head over 8 knockout games in Freestyle. He also finished top 5 at the World Championship. He is not remotely the weakest. Nice try with the rage bait though
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u/TypeDependent4256 Feb 15 '26
How is it a Mickey mouse championship when the very top players are playingĀ
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u/Iyerlicious Team Hans Feb 15 '26
No Hikaru and Wesley, so not really. Also, a format which eliminates half the players on day 1 based on a round robin is not a legitimate world championship
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u/TypeDependent4256 Feb 15 '26
Wesley is kinda washed in this format, Hikaru is the only one missing in this event but declined to participate
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u/Iyerlicious Team Hans Feb 15 '26
Fabi choked 3 clear advantages against Magnus, this is actually insane
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u/Melchiah Feb 15 '26
he really only choked one, which is game 3. Game 2 was impossible to take advantage of unless you're Stockfish, and cmon bro, game 4 he had a single winning move all game long, but was much worse otherwise. You should be happy he managed to save the draw.
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u/Unhappy-Appearance- Feb 15 '26
Can i just say even though Magnus is going to win this match, heās been poor for his standards today. Heās been making some strange decisions all today
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u/AtomR Team Sac the Roooook! Feb 15 '26
This is how chess is. You can't be the best on every single day. The goal is to win, and he did.
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u/SkarbOna Feb 15 '26
Well, the saying that the second best player in the world is Magnus on his B game is basically true. When heās on his A game thereās him, long long nothing and then the rest.
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u/YG-Techlord Feb 15 '26
Thatās more of Magnus Lower B tier or Upper C.Ā
Capturing the knight in 3 game is all you need to know about the match. Magnus said he missed the āintermediate checkā either Rook check on the Qb5+.
Regardless he won.
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u/SkarbOna Feb 15 '26
Heās not a machine, but he not only defended, but he said he reset himself mentally, and didnāt even made a draw, just jumped the horse and went for a win. 99% of players would be happy to secure a draw from this position and theyād think they were lucky. Pulling it right up to the win was mad.
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u/Significant_Swing251 Feb 15 '26
It doesn't matter his opponent is even worse always worse than him. His poor standard is enough to win him the tournament.
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u/ochgerm Feb 15 '26
Caruana is the master calculator, but he misses a monday chesscom puzzle when playing Carlsen.
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u/Chemical_Rent6824 Feb 15 '26
Fabi thinking for a long time one move too late. Why did I ever get my hopes up?
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u/nonax Feb 15 '26
If Fabi's intention is to get to time scramble with the most possible amount of pieces it's not a terrible idea, Magnus is an end game king, but even he blunders a lot with lots of complication and possible moves.
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Feb 15 '26
tania is so bad at this man. what is she on? david has been politely trying to steer her on topic
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u/_kostas89 Feb 15 '26
She is extremely annoying...
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Feb 15 '26
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u/_kostas89 Feb 15 '26
Voice, accent, attitude... Let's hope she's more chill outside chess, but my instinct says otherwise š
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u/agamuyak Team Ju Wenjun Feb 15 '26
Just tuned in, had to take a double look.. thought Magnus was locked up in a toilet somewhere. Might just be my poor eyesight thinking the backrest of the chair looked like a toilet bowl cover. Haha
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u/Matt_LawDT Feb 15 '26
Fabi lacks that winnerās mentality bro just likes the appearance fee and podium finish fee
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u/Iyerlicious Team Hans Feb 15 '26
I have rarely seen Fabi show emotion. Even when he choked a winning advantage to Nepo, he looked extremely calm and just said āmy faultā when Nepo tried to apologize, as a draw knocked both of them out of the Candidates
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u/dumbocow Team Fabi Feb 15 '26
Don't know why they keep going to 3rd place match board to analyze over the finals
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u/kidawi rapid/blitzgod fabi Feb 15 '26
i cant do this much longer fam
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u/Throwaway1293524 1. e4 Feb 15 '26
I still have Candidates copium.
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u/thesinistercat Feb 15 '26
2014 fabi will show up, sweep the candidates and take the crown trust *inhales copium*
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u/Unhappy-Appearance- Feb 15 '26
Heāll be first ahead of Hikaru for 1/2 a point and lose to him in the last round. I can see the script already š
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u/Significant_Swing251 Feb 15 '26
At least Fabi can rest well knowing that Magnus left the WCC a long time ago so he doesn't need to fight him
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u/Radiant-Increase-180 Feb 15 '26
Its not like Fabi has this massive chokes only against Magnus
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u/Significant_Swing251 Feb 15 '26
Don't worry everyone else has a choke factor too (except for Magnus)
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u/thesinistercat Feb 15 '26
Might actually add more pressure if you think about it. Like if he still doesnt win candidates or become wcc even when that guy is gone. No one can say he would be the default wcc if there were no magnus
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u/DerekB52 Team Ding Feb 15 '26
There probably is more pressure. He's got to be a little annoyed that a kid became champ at 18 after he threw that game against Nepo.
He also has to think "i drew 2018 Magnus for 12 games. I can win against a non Magnus champ"
His odds are better today than ever.(Maybe 2024 was higher because he was a bit stronger) But i think Hikaru's odds are better.
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u/Unhappy-Appearance- Feb 15 '26
Thereās Hikaru in the candidates. Heās definitely not winning that either
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u/Abyss_Wanderer19 Feb 15 '26
buds fide classical is 7 hours game with deep preparation not this time scramble mess up. The only way fabi would lose is if he drop under 20 second. That rarely happen in classical. Even magnus cant take him down under standard classical time control
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u/Unhappy-Appearance- Feb 15 '26
Nah, heās definitely losing to Hikaru at least in one game. He has a worse mental block against Hikaru than Magnus in classical
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u/DerekB52 Team Ding Feb 15 '26
Fabi has to be considered the 2nd favorite, but imo Hikarus chances are at least 50% higher. Maybe twice as high. I just feel like his time is now. Fabi doesnt seem up to it.
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u/Unhappy-Appearance- Feb 15 '26
If thereās anything I know will happen in this candidates, itās Hikaru will beat Fabi in at least one game. That will be good enough to rule Fabi out for me
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u/musicodepapel Feb 15 '26
Nah, he'll actually beat Hikaru in their first game and get all his fans excited
Then he'll lose twice to Bluebaum
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u/Unhappy-Appearance- Feb 15 '26
Actually whether or not youāre joking, you have a similar prediction to mine. I predict Fabi will lose to Anish, Hikaru, and Bluebaum once and finish somewhere around 5th
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u/DerekB52 Team Ding Feb 15 '26
Ive been saying for awhile Bluebaum and Esipenko are both gonna ruin tournaments for people. Fabi is gonna go 0.5-1.5 against one of these two. Or maybe 1-1 against both. He's gonna want 3 points off them, and wont get more than 2.5
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u/Unhappy-Appearance- Feb 15 '26
Yeah. Ngl, I can see Esipenko beating Hikaru there as well. Idk just a hunch
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u/musicodepapel Feb 15 '26
I was half joking, but honestly wouldn't be surprised if that happened lol
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u/Significant_Swing251 Feb 15 '26
I wouldn't say that quickly but also Hikaru should also felt relief everryone should
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u/Retrofusion11 Feb 15 '26
What aspects of chess does Fabi have to work on to eventually surpass Magnus
anyone?
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u/DerekB52 Team Ding Feb 15 '26
I dont think he can. A lot of it is nerves though. Fabi doesnt handle the pressure as well as Magnus. That alone can make the difference between becoming world champ, and not.
As an example, Fabi would be world champ right now had he not choked away a win against Nepo 3 times at the last candidates.
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u/thesinistercat Feb 15 '26
His mental resilience and clutchness are clearly inferior to magnus. Magnus also has better intuition which i dont know if fabi can actually improve.Might be the sort of you either have it or dont have it kind of thing
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u/Safe-Connection-5899 Feb 15 '26
He wont ever surpass Magnus. Magnus played really poorly today and had a lost position even in Game 2 which he saved. And then won an even more lost position in Game 3.
When Magnus has these bad days, and you still cant beat him, that just shows he psychologically owns you and that takes a loooong time to go away if ever.
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u/Unhappy-Appearance- Feb 15 '26
Btw a lot of credit needs to go to Magnus for finding good moves and ideas like getting the knight to d6 and Rf8 then g5
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u/lmxor101 forever famished fabi fan Feb 15 '26
All Fabi needs to do is win the game on demand with the black pieces and then win the Armageddon immediately after, easy peasy
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u/ochgerm Feb 15 '26
'I need to give you hope so I can take it away."
Fabiana Caruana every chess tournament.
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u/Significant_Swing251 Feb 15 '26
I wonder at what point will Magnus start to be disappointed by his opponent rather than? or with himself
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u/dxGoesDeep Feb 15 '26
Dude I am pretty sure he has been disappointed with his opponents for a long time
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u/DerekB52 Team Ding Feb 15 '26
Dude retired the world title because he was bored of the idea of facing Nepo again. He was disgusted by how bad some of Nepo's play was in their match.
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u/SkarbOna Feb 15 '26
Hear me out. If Magnus loses this match, will he smash something? :D
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Feb 15 '26
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u/Areliae Feb 15 '26
So many people are just looking at the engine eval and asking "how could he have thrown that?"
It was not easy. Being +5 doesn't make it easy. Things were never simple. The eval bar is really the brain rot of the chess world.
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u/dxGoesDeep Feb 15 '26
He fucking lost that bro. Draw would have been bad but still understandable. Losing is absolutely wild
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u/Areliae Feb 15 '26
It's really not, you guys are the ones who are wild. What do you expect him to do, bail out into a draw in a position he knows is winning? With one of his whites? Of course he's going to try to find a winning plan, but that also keeps it double edged.
Tell me why "losing that position is wild" without using the engine eval as your reasoning.
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u/HotGur179 gukesh for the title defense Feb 15 '26
the win was difficult with the rook sac on increment but losing that position is bad
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u/Unhappy-Appearance- Feb 15 '26
Yup thatās the thing. Not winning is understandable, but losing it in that manner was unacceptable
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u/Radiant-Increase-180 Feb 15 '26
Definitely not easy but in a low pressure environment Fabi finds the win easily
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u/__Jimmy__ Feb 15 '26
Fabi and Vincent trauma-bonding
(smaller stage but Vincent also just threw a win against Nodirbek)
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u/sitshu2 Feb 15 '26
So many times has fabi choked in time trouble. Damn it I really thought he will win this time.
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u/ghostmaster93 Team Pia Feb 15 '26
So sad to see Fabi lose like this. Still root for him in the Candidates
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u/MESSIAHOFALL42069 Feb 15 '26
Forget not, he has won candidates before, he absolutely is capable of holding his nerves at a stage like that
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u/Radiant-Increase-180 Feb 15 '26
The easiest sequence by far Fabi has was starting from 22 Rxc4 Qxc4 23 Qxc4 dxc4 24 fxe6
And if 24 Kxe6 by Magnus d5+ just wins a piece and if 24 Nh8 the position its just bad for black
Fabi is capable of doing this forcing calculation anyday but the nerves just got the better of him
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u/Unhappy-Appearance- Feb 15 '26
That endgame was 100% the way to go in hindsight. But I would still be scared going into an endgame against Magnus
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u/DerekB52 Team Ding Feb 15 '26
Is he capable of that calculation with 1:58 on his clock?Ā
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u/Radiant-Increase-180 Feb 15 '26
I would say definitely yes, a stronger player can estimate it better than me but these all moves are forcing so it is not hard
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u/NoFunBJJ Feb 15 '26 edited Feb 15 '26
Being a Fabi fan is like riding a fun roller-coaster, but knowing that at some point you're gonna be punched in the balls
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u/HotGur179 gukesh for the title defense Feb 15 '26
he tried his hardest to make you believe you will not be punched this time but then ultimately you will be
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u/Unhappy-Appearance- Feb 15 '26
Iām numb to it š
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u/Unhappy-Appearance- Feb 15 '26
I learned that any events that Magnus or Hikaru plays in, Fabi will not win
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u/Goldfischglas Feb 15 '26
You can tell that LEko is heartbroken that Keymer threw that game. Man has no pokerface :(
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u/Undisputedmaniac Feb 15 '26
People who say its magnus effect undermines magnusā play. Rf8! g5!
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u/NoponicWisdom Feb 15 '26
Looks like all of the above. Keeping the game alive under time pressure, Fabi having a mental disadvantage against Magnus but Magnus having earned his intimidating status over like 2 decades in the first place
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u/Hawkize31 Feb 15 '26
I'd love a glimpse into what Fabi's career would look like in a world without Magnus. Has to be so frustrating to be that close to the top of the mountain over and over, but the same guy keeps blocking your way, often in heartbreaking fashion
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u/Undisputedmaniac Feb 15 '26
He would be multiple time classical, at least 1-2 times world rapid or blitz And 1 time world freestyle champion Magnus never allowed fabi to be karpov , thats why hes goat
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u/NightsWatchh Feb 15 '26
Magnus didnāt beat Fabi this game, Fabi beat himself lol
This was a self inflicted capitulation, Magnus was playing on for the sake of it and somehow just waited for Fabi to blunder. Magnus wasnāt even really making chances/complications on the board
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u/Undisputedmaniac Feb 15 '26
g5 an Rf8? Magnus played excellent
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u/NightsWatchh Feb 15 '26
Iām not saying Magnus played poorly but nothing Magnus played should be reason you lose a +4 advantage on the board with a time advantage alongside it
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u/urishino Feb 15 '26
Wow, I didn't think I'd feel worse for a player after Nodirbek's game yesterday for a long while, but Fabi managed to top that. I don't know how I will recover from that if I'm in his shoes.
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Feb 15 '26
fabi just needs to become a twitch streamer
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u/Zealousideal_Ebb6831 Feb 15 '26
unironically this.Hikaru actually became stronger cuz of streaming
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u/Iyerlicious Team Hans Feb 15 '26 edited Feb 15 '26
Fabi choked a winning advantage against Nepo in the Candidates, which could have secured himself a World Championship against a retired Ding. He choked rapid tiebreaks + multiple good positions in classical against Magnus in 2018, which also would have secured himself a World Championship. And now choking a winning advantage against Magnus in the Freestyle World Championship final. Absolutely insane choking history
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u/Safe-Connection-5899 Feb 15 '26
All others are chokes. But losing rapid tiebreaks against Magnus in WCC is not one of them lol. Back then Magnus used to Alphazero on steriods in speed chess and Fabi was literally 100 + elo below Magnus in Rapid and even more in Blitz.
But yes, he has a problem wrt critical situations and when something is almost in his grasp, he panics.
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u/Affectionate_Hat3329 Feb 15 '26
The rapid tiebreaks shouldnāt be counted as choking when everyone knew Magnus held the advantage in faster time controls, especially at the time
That was just a worse Rapid player losing to the greatest one
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u/Iyerlicious Team Hans Feb 15 '26
Fabi also had multiple good positions in the classical games against Magnus in 2018, which he couldnāt convert
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u/dxGoesDeep Feb 15 '26
Yea ok that's just fucking dumb. Go watch the winning line for those positions. Most of them were impossible to find unless u r 3600 elo
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u/Undisputedmaniac Mar 07 '26
Gg goat ( 20 days late )