World number one Magnus Carlsen reminded everyone of his prowess in faster formats after a perfect nine out of nine wins against a star-studded field on the first day of the 2023 GCT SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia tournament, breaking records by comprehensively dominating a 2723-rated field of opponents.
Five blacks, four whites, and seven opponents rated over 2700? It was no problem for Carlsen, who made chess history by winning every single game on the first day of the blitz portion of the Grand Chess Tour’s Rapid and Blitz event, putting himself in pole position to go all the way.
Carlsen himself has said that this performance was “very, very special” to him, adding that though he has had good days before and has “definitely played better,” winning every single game in one day is something even he will likely never do again. The Norwegian added he started believing in the flawless result after the sixth victory when he triumphed over French youngster and current top-rated blitz player Alireza Firouzja.
Related: Split: Carlsen draws his last game as classical world champion
Carlsen is no stranger to excellent performances in faster time controls, and he has said on record multiple times after giving up the classical chess championship title that he is more interested in rapid and blitz competitions going forward. It’s no wonder he is the current title holder for both of those world championships as well.
Recently, he also scored a flawless 11/11 record in chess.com’s Titled Tuesday tournament, a weekly online competition featuring the chess world’s elite, while also playing various dubious openings throughout the event. His campaign there equaled Hikaru Nakamura’s effort on Aug. 17, 2021—the first and only other player to achieve a perfect day at the competition.
After disappointing performances in Wijk an Zee (where he finished third in the prestigious Tata Steel Chess tournament) and a shock showing at Norway Chess (where he didn’t win a single classical game), Carlsen has provided a strong response to critics with this historic showing, at least as far as faster time controls are concerned.
The 2023 GCT SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia tournament concludes tomorrow with another full round-robin blitz bracket, but with the colors reversed. With Carlsen’s current form and his three-point advantage over Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi, he is the runaway favorite to win the event.
