Chess in the Last 24 Hours: Carlsen Falls, Then Flies

Two days ago, the best chess player in the world looked broken. Magnus Carlsen lost four games in a row — something that had not happened to him since he was 12 years old. Then, in the last 24 hours, he won his first eight blitz games in a row. That is chess in Hong Kong right now: fast, wild, and full of surprises.

One big, friendly team event

Right now, the world's best players are in Hong Kong for the FIDE World Team Rapid and Blitz Championships. It runs from June 17 to 21. This is not the usual one-against-one chess. Here, players join teams of six.

There is a sweet rule. Every team must include at least one woman and one "recreational" player — someone who has never been a top-rated star. So world champions sit next to amateurs and little kids. That mix is the heart of the story.

The Rapid: a Chinese team "chills" to gold

The first part, the rapid, ended in a nail-biter. Three teams finished level on 18 points. The title was decided by tiebreaks. The winner: Dragon Chilling from China, led by former world champion Ding Liren.

In the very last round, Ding had drawn six games in a row. His team needed him. He finally broke free and won in just 20 moves. That gave Dragon Chilling the push they needed.

A lovely surprise team called Mr Birdie and friends led for much of the event. The name honors a pet bird that died one year ago. They are simply a group of pals who prepared by playing fun games together. They just missed a medal, finishing fourth.

Carlsen falls, then flies

For Carlsen, the rapid was a bad dream. He lost four games in a row, and his star-packed team, WR Chess, finished a shocking 17th.

Then the blitz began on Saturday. Blitz is much faster, and Carlsen loves speed. He won game after game — eight straight — and his team stormed back to win their group. As one report put it, WR Chess is "back in business."

The kids are taking over

The best part? The young players keep stealing the show.

• Faustino Oro, just 12, beat a top grandmaster, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, in a marathon that lasted 118 moves. He scored a huge 9.5 out of 10.
• Zihao Wang, who is not yet 13, kept winning crazy games out of nowhere. "I just thought I must win," he said.
• Praggnanandhaa, a young Indian star, beat his own teacher, the legend Viswanathan Anand.
• Hans Niemann celebrated his 23rd birthday with strong play and a joke: if he is not world champion by 26, he will "become a monk."

What happens today

The blitz reaches its final day today, June 21. Eight teams are left: WR Chess, Endgame.AI, Hexamind, Mr Birdie and friends, Uzbekistan, Dragon Chilling, Team MGD1, and Chessgurukul. By tonight, one of them will be world team blitz champion.

Chess can feel like a quiet, serious game. But this week in Hong Kong, it is loud, joyful, and young. A bird's memory, a 12-year-old hero, and a champion who fell and rose again — all in 24 hours. That is why we keep watching.