Chess players

Magnus Carlsen

Grandmaster, Norway. FIDE rating 2823, October 2026.

Magnus Carlsen of Norway is a grandmaster and the world No. 1 on the FIDE classical list of October 2026, rated 2823. He was world champion from 2013 to 2023. His next event is the Total Chess World Championship Tour pilot in Budapest from 10 to 20 November 2026.

FIDE title: Grandmaster
Federation: Norway
Born: 30 November 1990, Tønsberg, Norway
Classical rating: 2823 (October 2026)
Rapid rating: 2801
Blitz rating: 2860
Peak rating: 2882 (May 2014)
World rank: No. 1 (October 2026)
FIDE id: 1503014

Carlsen became a grandmaster in 2004, the second-youngest in history at the time, and in 2009 he became the youngest player to pass 2800, a record that Alireza Firouzja broke in 2021. He took the world No. 1 spot on the FIDE list of July 2011, and he is still No. 1 on the October 2026 list. In 2013 he beat Viswanathan Anand in Chennai for the world title, defended it in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2021, and gave it up in 2023 without playing a match, the first champion to do so since Bobby Fischer.

His peak classical rating, 2882, came on the May 2014 list and again in August 2019; no player has been rated higher on the FIDE list. In October 2020 his unbeaten run in classical chess ended after 125 games, with 42 wins and 83 draws. His record in faster chess is wider still: six World Rapid titles (2014, 2015, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2025), nine World Blitz titles from 2009 to 2025, the 2023 World Cup and the first FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship in 2026. He has won the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk aan Zee eight times and Norway Chess seven times, the seventh in 2025.

His first world title came out of endgames. In game 5 of the 2013 match Anand missed 45...Ra1, which would have held a rook-and-bishop ending, and in game 6 he went wrong in a rook ending, so Carlsen led 4-2 at the halfway point. Online he is a five-time Speed Chess Champion (2016, 2017, 2023, 2024 and 2025), and in May 2024 he won the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland with a run of 10 straight wins. He prefers formats with less opening work: he left the classical title because months of preparation for one long match no longer appealed to him.

In 2026 he won the Chess.com Open in April and the TePe Sigeman & Co. tournament in May, the second after a tiebreak with Arjun Erigaisi. At Norway Chess in Oslo he lost four classical games and finished fourth with 13 points. In August he beat Denis Lazavik in the final of the Esports World Cup. In September his Alpine APL Pipers lost the Global Chess League final 7-5 to the Ganges Grandmasters, after Carlsen lost his icon-board game to Ian Nepomniachtchi. His next event is the Total Chess pilot in Budapest from 10 to 20 November, where 24 players combine 45-minute, rapid and blitz games.

Next events

1.Total Chess World Championship Tour pilot: 10 to 20 November 2026, Anantara New York Palace Hotel, Budapest, Hungary. 24 players; the final is on 20 November.

Recent results

Carlsen's recent results
Event	Dates	Result
Global Chess League 2026, Bengaluru (Alpine APL Pipers)	5 to 13 September 2026	Runner-up; the Pipers lost the final 7-5 to the Ganges Grandmasters
Esports World Cup 2026, chess	August 2026	Won; beat Denis Lazavik in the final
Norway Chess 2026, Oslo	25 May to 5 June 2026	4th of 6 with 13 points
TePe Sigeman & Co. 2026	May 2026	Won after a tiebreak with Arjun Erigaisi
Chess.com Open 2026	April 2026	Won

Career highlights

1.Became a grandmaster in 2004, the second-youngest in history at the time.
2.Took the world No. 1 spot on the FIDE list of July 2011.
3.Won the world title from Viswanathan Anand in Chennai in 2013 and defended it in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2021.
4.Reached 2882 on the May 2014 FIDE list, the highest classical rating in the history of the list.
5.Went 125 classical games unbeaten, with 42 wins and 83 draws, until October 2020.
6.Gave up the world title in 2023, the first champion to do so since Bobby Fischer.
7.Won the first FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship in 2026.
8.Won his sixth World Rapid title and his ninth World Blitz title in 2025.

Carlsen's season-by-season record in the league is on the Global Chess League profile.

Frequently asked questions

What is Magnus Carlsen's next tournament?

The Total Chess World Championship Tour pilot in Budapest, Hungary, from 10 to 20 November 2026. The 24 players open with a nine-round blitz Swiss on 10 November, play groups of 45-minute games from 11 to 15 November, and the knockout stage ends with the final on 20 November.

What is Magnus Carlsen's FIDE rating?

On the October 2026 FIDE list Carlsen is rated 2823 in classical chess, 2801 in rapid and 2860 in blitz, and he is world No. 1 in all three. His highest classical rating is 2882, first reached on the May 2014 list.

How old is Magnus Carlsen?

Carlsen was born on 30 November 1990 in Tønsberg, Norway.

How many times was Magnus Carlsen world champion?

Five times in classical chess: he beat Viswanathan Anand in 2013 and defended the title in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2021, then chose not to defend it in 2023. He has also won the World Rapid Championship six times and the World Blitz Championship nine times.

Is Magnus Carlsen playing the 2026 World Championship match?

No. The 2026 match in Geneva is between Gukesh Dommaraju and Javokhir Sindarov, with game 1 on 24 November 2026. Carlsen plays the Total Chess pilot in Budapest that month, and in an interview with the Financial Times he called Sindarov a significant favourite.

Sources

Facts checked on 20 October 2026. Ratings are from the FIDE list of October 2026.

More profiles: all chess player profiles.