World Rapid and Blitz Championships

FIDE’s annual world championships in rapid and blitz chess, played together over the last days of December.

Women's blitz, Doha 2016. Photo: Sam Sloan, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Founded: 2012
Held: Annual, late December
Where: Varies
Format: Rapid: a 13-round Swiss. Blitz: a Swiss stage followed by a knockout. Separate open and women’s events
Champion: Magnus Carlsen (2025)
Most titles: Magnus Carlsen (6)

History

FIDE has held world championships in rapid and blitz alongside each other since 2012, usually in the last week of December. They are open to a large field of top players, which makes them some of the strongest events of the year.

Magnus Carlsen has dominated both, winning the rapid six times and the blitz nine times. The 2024 blitz final ended with Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi agreeing to share the title after three drawn tiebreak games.

World Rapid and Blitz Championships in The Chess Herald

Oct 16, 2026Rafael Vaganian at 75: The Armenian Who Reached No. 4
Oct 6, 2026Classical, Rapid, Blitz: How Chess Time Controls Work
Sep 18, 2026Freedom Holding Signs On as FIDE's Newest World Title Backer
Aug 27, 2026How Anna Muzychuk Went From Boycotting Saudi Arabia to Booking a Spot in Saint-Tropez

Winners

Year	Winner
2025	Magnus Carlsen · Blitz: Magnus Carlsen
2024	Volodar Murzin · Blitz: Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi, shared
2023	Magnus Carlsen · Blitz: Magnus Carlsen
2022	Magnus Carlsen · Blitz: Magnus Carlsen
2021	Nodirbek Abdusattorov · Blitz: Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
2019	Magnus Carlsen · Blitz: Magnus Carlsen
2018	Daniil Dubov · Blitz: Magnus Carlsen
2017	Viswanathan Anand · Blitz: Magnus Carlsen
2016	Vasyl Ivanchuk · Blitz: Sergey Karjakin
2015	Magnus Carlsen · Blitz: Alexander Grischuk

Show all winners since 2012

2014	Magnus Carlsen · Blitz: Magnus Carlsen
2013	Shakhriyar Mamedyarov · Blitz: Le Quang Liem
2012	Sergey Karjakin · Blitz: Alexander Grischuk

Source: Wikipedia.

Page last reviewed September 29, 2026.