Chess at EWC 26 Champion: Carlsen does it again

When the championship series began, fan and analyst expectations heavily favored the reigning champion, with 91% of the audience expecting a Magnus Carlsen victory. While Carlsen had prevailed in their only other high-stakes matchup at last year’s Speed Chess Championship, Denis Lazavik had previously shown he could upset the world No. 1 during the early rounds of the 2024 Rapid Chess Championship.

Carlsen’s controlled victory

Set 1 of the Grand Final began with a tense opening game that appeared to be heading for a draw, until Lazavik made a critical error in the king-and-pawn endgame under time pressure. Carlsen capitalized on the mistake to take an early lead. Lazivik stabilized his play in games 2 and 3, but succumbed to Carlsen's pressure again in game 4, closing out the first set, with Carlsen taking the lead in the series 1-0.

Needing a victory in the second set to keep his championship hopes alive, the young Belarusian prodigy adjusted his strategy heading into Game 5. The tactical shift initially put pressure on Carlsen, but the defending champion absorbed the aggressive play and eventually turned the game in his favor, putting Lazavik in zugzwang and forcing a resignation.

Despite showing moments of unease during Set 2, Carlsen maintained control of the series. After draws in Games 6 and 7, the Norwegian closed out the Grand Final in Game 8. Playing a sharp variation of the Caro-Kann, Carlsen even sacrificed his queen before pushing Lazavik into a final resignation and securing the championship.

An undefeated defense

Reflecting on his championship performance after lifting the trophy, Carlsen shared his satisfaction with how the tournament unfolded.

“I was thrilled to go undefeated, and that was part of the strategy as well, not trying to do anything out of the ordinary but trying to play pretty tight chess and taking every chance I could find,” Carlsen said.

Carlsen’s dominant title defense came despite clearly struggling with physical illness throughout the week. The chess legend never appeared to be in genuine trouble, however, comfortably navigating the Group Stage before recording convincing Playoff wins over Nihal Sarin and Alireza Firouzja to reach the Grand Final without dropping a single game.

Championship points secured

By retaining his title, Carlsen secured 1,000 vital Club Championship points for Team Liquid, bringing the club’s 2026 total to 1,200. That figure is likely lower than expected after Liquid’s strong second-place finish in last year’s Club Championship. Meanwhile, AG.AL earned valuable points through Lazavik’s runner-up finish, extending its lead over Team Falcons heading into the final week of competition.