Live: https://youtube.com/watch?v=DH0uabAi1J4

Some days you just don't have it. I was nowhere close to the level I needed to be today. Good outcome for the public though, pretty sure no chess fan wanted to see Alireza in the playoffs anyway. Good luck to Duda and MVL!

🔗 Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen)

The first game is a draw, and now the players keep playing game after game until someone finally wins! (because we had to have only a 2-player tiebreak to ensure everything was over fast and to a fixed schedule😀)

The first tiebreak game ends in a draw!

The second game has begun!

Maxime is pressing with the black pieces!

Second tiebreak is also a draw and we will now go into the third tiebreak.

https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/world-blitz-championship-2021/23/1/1

The second game is also drawn, so now the players continue playing sudden-death games — but normal blitz games, not Armageddon

Another draw, so we get more chess!

Congratulations to Maxime Vachier-Lagrave on winning the 2021 World Blitz Championship after defeating Jan-Krzysztof Duda in the playoff!

Congratulations to Maxime Vachier-Lagrave for winning the 2021 World Blitz Championship!
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave won the third game of the play-off, after the first two ended in a draw. 👏👏

📷: Michal Walusza

Amazing tournament❗️

🥇Maxime Vachier-Lagrave is the world champion in blitz chess 🥈 Jan-Krzysztof Duda is the second and 🥉Alireza Firouzja with the bronze medal

Alexandra Kosteniuk and Valentina Gunina won silver and bronze medals at the FIDE World Blitz Women's Championship. The champions are Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Bibisara Assaubayeva https://ruchess.ru/en/news/all/alexandra_kosteniuk_and_valentina_gunina_win_silver_and_bronze_medals_at_fide_world_blitz_women_s_ch/

Photo: Rafal Oleksiewicz

Alireza Firouzja was among the first people to congratulate his French teammate Maxime Vachier-Lagrave on winning the World Blitz Championship!

Trophies for Ian Nepomniachtchi (bronze), Magnus Carlsen (silver) and for 17-year-old World Rapid Championship winner Nodirbek Abdusattorov (gold)!

17-year-old Bibisara Assaubayeva won the Women's World Blitz Championship, with Alexandra Kosteniuk taking silver and Valentina Gunina bronze!

And for the World Blitz Championship it's bronze for Alireza Firouzja, silver for Jan-Krzysztof Duda and gold for Maxime Vachier-Lagrave!