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

> In Hong Kong, Magnus Carlsen lost four games in a row, then won eight straight in the blitz. China's Dragon Chilling took World Team Rapid gold on tiebreaks, and young stars like 12-year-old Faustino Oro stole the show. The team blitz final is today.

_By PrimeChess Team, Chess for Everyone · Jun 21, 2026_

# 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.

| Place | Rapid team |
| --- | --- |
| 🥇 Gold | Dragon Chilling (China) |
| 🥈 Silver | Team MGD1 |
| 🥉 Bronze | Hexamind |

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.