Magnus Carlsen (left) secured a victory against 14-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus in Malmö, a result that earned the Norwegian a share of the first prize. (Photo: Pete Doggers)
The world No.1, Magnus Carlsen, made a rare return to classical chess this week at the annual TePe Sigeman tournament in Malmö, Sweden. He managed to force a blitz playoff in Thursday’s final round after Turkey’s young talent Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus made a fatal blunder late in the game, having reached a drawn position.
Carlsen finished tied on 5/7 with India’s Arjun Erigaisi and won the blitz playoff 2-1, with the decisive sudden-death game sealing his victory.
Carlsen suffered a defeat in Monday’s fourth round in a fluctuating 88-move marathon against Dutch GM Jorden van Foreest, whose predatory rook finally trapped a Carlsen knight that had strayed too far from its base. It was a grinding battle of the kind Carlsen himself has won many times in his career.
This loss was Carlsen’s first in classical chess since his defeat against India’s reigning world champion, Gukesh Dommaraju, at Norway Chess 2025, when he famously slammed the
