For the first time in history, two players have shared the World Blitz Championship title. Magnus Carlsen and Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi made the unprecedented decision to share the championship after three intense sudden-death tiebreak games ended in draws. 

Acknowledging the people, Carlsen stated, “People should, of course, understand that we are both tired and nervous. Some people are going to like it; some are not going to like it. It is the way it is.”

Carlsen, the reigning Blitz champion, started strong, winning the first two games in the final and needing only a draw in the third to clinch the title. However, Nepomniachtchi staged a dramatic comeback, winning the next two games to equalise the score at 2-2, forcing a tiebreak showdown.

In the tiebreak, neither player could secure a decisive victory across three sudden-death games, all of which ended in draws. Acknowledging the intensity and equality of the competition, Carlsen proposed sharing the title, a move Nepomniachtchi agreed to, marking a historic moment in chess.

The chess legend further explained his decision to share the title. 

“At that point (when he suggested the draw), we had already played for a very long time. I was very happy to end it. I thought at that point it would have been very, very cruel on both of us if one came first and another second. That’s why I thought it was a reasonable solution.”

“It feels very good to share gold with Nepo. We reached a point where it had been a long day. We played many games, we had three draws, and I felt that I could keep playing. But it was a nice solution to share the win it was a good way to end it,” Magnus Carlsen told Norwegian media outlet NRK.

In a clip shared by FIDE, Magnus offered the idea to Nepo about sharing the title however, Nepo looked uncertain. Later on, they both verbally signed the agreement and shared a hug.