Former world champion Magnus Carlsen defeated GM Alireza Firouzja in the live finals of the Speed Chess Championship in 2024. Both players look ready to return this year, as they began the 2025 edition with decisive victories against grandmasters Jose Martinez and Tuan Minh Le, respectively.
The next Round of 16 match will be on Wednesday, October 15 at 11:00 AM ET/17:00 CEST/20:30 IST between GMs Arjun Erigaisi and Denis Lazavik.
2025 Speed Chess Championship Bracket
Alireza Firouzja 16-8 Minh Le
Firouzja was a significant favorite heading into his match with Minh Le. The Chess.com pre-match predictions expected him to win every section and gave him a 94-percent chance of overall match victory.
5+1: Firouzja 7.5-1.5 Minh Le
Minh Le tried an opening surprise, the Schliemann Defense to the Ruy Lopez, in the very first game of the match. He got a great position, but then tragedy struck.
Here’s the finish on camera.
In what looks like a mouse slip, Minh Le plays a Botez Gambit in game one!https://t.co/fuTEpawAKM#SpeedChess pic.twitter.com/1OA7Qx01fW
— chess24 (@chess24com) October 13, 2025
In the second game, Minh Le found a tactic in the opening and entered a winning rook endgame, ahead by a pawn. However, one impulsive move allowed Firouzja to liquidate into a drawn endgame. Minh Le looked distraught on the broadcast.
Minh Le never fully recovered from his missed chances in the first two games. After a quick Schliemann Defense draw in game three, Firouzja broke though and won four games in a row. He dodged the Schliemann Defense by switching to the Italian Opening and avoided any further difficulties with Black. Minh Le stopped the bleeding with a solid draw, but Firouzja won with another Italian in game nine to finish the section with a full 6-point lead.
Alireza finds a clever way to force the queen trade, win, and take a 7.5-1.5 lead ahead of the 3+1 portion!https://t.co/b8FrEoGahb#SpeedChess pic.twitter.com/W6pJCrYyVv
— chess24 (@chess24com) October 13, 2025
3+1: Firouzja 6.5-1.5 Minh Le
The transition to a faster time control didn’t do anything to change the direction of the match. After a Queen’s Gambit draw in the first 3+1 game, Firouzja won in another Italian Opening. In the third 3+1 game, Minh Le switched to the London System, which has served him well in many Titled Tuesdays. Yet, Firouzja played a great game and scored a smooth win with the black pieces.
1+1: Firouzja 2-5 Minh Le
Firouzja is the three-time bullet champion so he’s favored against just about anyone in the fastest time control. However, with an 11-point lead going into the final segment, he seemed to take his foot off the gas. Minh Le’s play also improved without the pressure of match victory and he scored his first win with a tactical trick.
Minh Le followed up by winning three of the next four games before drawing the final game of the match. That left the final looking closer than the match may have felt to the players, with Firouzja emerging with a 16-8 victory.
He advances to the next round, where he will face the winner of the match between GM Ian Nepomniachtchi and GM Anish Giri, to be played on October 17.
Magnus Carlsen 14.5-8.5 Jose Martinez
Carlsen came into his match with Martinez with an absurdly successful SCC career.
Martinez is always a force in bullet and blitz. He had faced GM Hikaru Nakamura in the SCC last year, so he knew the sort of struggle to expect against one of the event’s top players.
5+1: Carlsen 6-2 Martinez
Carlsen took control early in the match. He won a tough time-scramble in a back-and-forth first game. Then, he confidently took the second game in dominant fashion.
Carlsen kept going in game three with one of his patented endgame grinds.
Squeezing water from stone in the endgame, Magnus goes 3/3 now!https://t.co/PKZnch51LH pic.twitter.com/vdzCfv1Cc2
— chess24 (@chess24com) October 13, 2025
Martinez struck back in game four and after another Carlsen win, he turned the tables again in game six. Martinez applied pressure, much the way that Carlsen has many times in the past.
That game brought the score to 4-2, but Carlsen reasserted control, winning the final two five-minute games. That brought him a 6-2 lead as the players prepared for the faster time controls.
3+1: Carlsen 5.5-1.5 Martinez
Carlsen wasn’t going to let Martinez back into the match as the games got faster. After a draw in the first three-minute game, Carlsen won five in a row to put the match out of reach. Even the players couldn’t believe how lucky he seemed. Or do good players make their own luck?
Both players just laugh that one off! 😂https://t.co/ncqYwKk4Ri#SpeedChess pic.twitter.com/t41uwpgk3u
— chess24 (@chess24com) October 13, 2025
By the time the three-minute drama was done, Carlsen led 11.5-3.5 and the match was out of reach.
1+1: Carlsen 3-5 Martinez
Like in the earlier match, the trailing grandmaster spent the bullet segment reminding viewers that he was a dangerous player as well. He took several games, although Carlsen was clearly enjoying himself, having already clinched match victory. He played a variety of openings, including the King’s Gambit and even went so far as to play the meme opening, the Bongcloud, at the end of the match.
And Magnus plays a highly respectable opening!https://t.co/2HGkHEPY2r#SpeedChess pic.twitter.com/hgsgUCOYiv
— chess24 (@chess24com) October 13, 2025
The Bongcloud didn’t work out for Carlsen, but it didn’t need to. He won the match 14.5-8.5, earning himself a quarterfinal match with the winner of the match between GM Fabiano Caruana and GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, to be played on October 30.
The Speed Chess Championship is Chess.com’s most important speed chess event. Some of the biggest names in chess compete to determine the best speed chess player in the world. The games are played with time controls of 5+1, 3+1, and 1+1.
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