It’s Grand Slam!

Magnus Carlsen achieved what we would like to call a Grand Slam.

By defeating the Indian sensation Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa in the tiebreaks of the finals, Carlsen added the only trophy missing from his enormous cabinet.

It was not easy for the former World Champion and current number one, though.
In a recent interview, he said he was not feeling 100%, having incurred food poisoning. But then Maguns recovered, and he was his usual Magnus the Martian when it came to playing the 18-year-old Indian chess genius.
After drawing the two classical games, Magnus went into the tiebreaks to destroy his opponent with excellent play.

Of course, having Magnus won everything a chess champion can win, people are already saying he may even retire, lacking motivation.
But Carlsen keeps showing his incredible strength, winning almost every event he participates in.

He's been the Numero Uno for 12 years now, and nothing makes us think he will just fade off the chess scene.

Tarjei Svensen, Carlsen's almost-official spoke-person, posted some of the major Magnus's successes on X.



Impressive, isn't it?

In the final for third and fourth place, Caruana defeated local hero Nijat Abasov, who arguably had the tournament of his life.
And Abasov will be in the Candidates tournament - to be held in April 2024 - because Carlsen made it pretty clear he is not going to participate in the World Championship cycle!

Our friend IM Michael Rahal interviewed Carlsen for FIDE, and Magnus showed yet again he's the undisputed Numer One.
Check it out: