14-year-old chess player shockingly defeats 'chess king' Carlsen

Kỳ thủ 14 tuổi thắng sốc 'vua cờ' Carlsen - Ảnh 1. — Sina Movahed impressed when defeating Carlsen - Photo: Freestyle Chess

Unlike every other time, this week's tournament witnessed a remarkable change when only 9 points were enough to touch victory.

Movahed showed remarkable progress after finishing fourth in the previous week. Movahed won the tournament on tiebreaker, pushing two strong players, GM Sam Sevian and GM Magnus Carlsen, down to second and third place.

Movahed’s journey has not been a bed of roses, with his Chess960 Elo still quite low at 1843 (even with the points added after the championship). This shows that the young player has faced opponents who are stronger than his actual rating in the early games. This was evident when Movahed lost the third game to GM Gleb Dudin.

However, after that stumble, the Iranian player showed an amazing performance. Movahed won all the remaining games, except for two draws against Sevian and Carlsen - who Movahed later surpassed on tiebreakers.

Notably, sandwiched between those two draws was an impressive win over two-time Freestyle Friday champion GM Oleksandr Bortnyk, which put Movahed level with Sevian at the top of the standings.

The success up to now not only comes from natural talent but is also a testament to the hard work and determination of the Iranian prodigy.

From a young age, Movahed showed the qualities of a champion. Movahed continued to achieve success in youth tournaments, including the Iran U8 championship.

Carlsen - Ảnh 3. — Freestyle Chess Tournament Ranking - Photo: Screenshot

Entering the international arena, Sina Movahed continues to assert his position. The young Iranian player won the gold medal in board 4 at the 2022 World Chess Olympiad U16, a proud achievement for both the individual and the Iranian team. 2022 also witnessed Movahed's impressive performance at the World Youth Chess Championship U12 when he won the silver medal, only narrowly losing to strong opponents.

Not only stopping at standard chess, Movahed also showed his versatility in rapid and blitz chess. Movahed won the gold medal at the 2020 U10 World Online Youth and Rapid Chess Championship, showing his ability to think quickly and make lightning-fast decisions on the chessboard.

2024 marked an important turning point in Sina Movahed's career when this player was officially awarded the title of Grandmaster (GM), becoming one of the youngest grandmasters in the world.

After achieving the prestigious title, Movahed continued to reap remarkable successes. The championship at the Baku Open 2024 affirmed Movahed's competitiveness in major tournaments. In addition, the silver medal at the 2024 World Youth Blitz Championship U20 showed Movahed's strong potential for future development.

For winning the Freestyle Chess tournament, Sina Movahed received $400 in prize money, followed by Sam Sevian ($250) and Magnus Carlsen ($150).

Freestyle Friday is a tournament held every Friday by chess.com , dedicated to players with titles such as Grandmaster, International Master, in the Freestyle Chess category. The tournament has gathered a series of famous players such as chess king Magnus Carlsen, "lightning god" Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana,...

The current Freestyle Chess tournament is providing a competitive platform for top players to try their hand at this unique chess variation.

TUAN LONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ky-thu-14-tuoi-thang-soc-vua-co-carlsen-20250428114352454.htm