Last Updated : December 20, 2022
Speed Chess is one of Chess.com’s most preferred online tournaments, developed for SuperGM. The 2022 Speed Chess Championship will run from November 23 to December 16. Leading speed chess players will certainly contend in 16-player knockout tournaments under 3 different time controls. The regular formula of KO elimination is played in fast games of different tempos, with a total duration of three hours. They will compete for a share of the $100,000 prize and one of the most prestigious championships in online chess.
More than any other SCC before it, this is the one you don’t want to miss. Will Magnus Carlsen’s return this year end General Hidetoshi Nakamura’s four-year touch of competition victories or will someone else join him and sweep the event?
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Magnus Returns
Carlsen won the 2017 Speed Chess Championship prior to taking a few years off. Came the 2020 pandemic and Carlsen came back, then took one more year off. Now he will attempt to recover the SCC title for the 2nd time in 3 years.
Prior to winning the FIDE Blitz in 2018 and ’19, Carlson won the FIDE Strike championship as well as the SCC in ’17, and although he contended in both races, he hasn’t won considering that, so there’s really a level of threat of retribution as Carlson attempts to reassert his prominence. Undoubtedly, Magnus has actually taken every battle he has gone into to a greater degree. He is not the only one that can declare this.
Hikaru’s bid for a fifth chess championship
Honestly speaking, SCC has been Nakamura’s stronghold for years. Not only did he win in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 20 21, but the margin in the last game got smaller as well as smaller sized. four points in 2018, five in 2019, 6 in 2020 as well as even up to 15 in 2021… He is currently seeking his 5th successive speed chess title, the very same number as Carlsen’s validated timeless world championship. There is no doubt that he will do so with the very same calculating and ingenuity that SCC has presented over the past 4 years, not to mention his loads of Entitled Tuesday success.
Where to watch
You can view the 2022 Speed Chess Championship on Chess.com/ TELEVISION. You can also watch the show on the Twitch channel and also see all the real-time streams on YouTube.com/ ChesscomLive.
Nakamura defeats Carlsen to defend fifth speed chess title
Hikaru Nakamura beat Magnus Carlsen in a very close final of the 2022 Speed Chess Championship to win his fifth consecutive championship. More importantly, he finally beat the only player who had beaten him in the tournament, Magnus Carlsen.
Nakamura dominated the 5+1 segment, taking advantage of his chances to win while sabotaging Carlsen’s unbeaten record, and Hikaru made a stunning 6.5:2.5 start to the five-minute match, which he eventually lost despite Magnus saying, “I can’t believe how much I enjoyed it” until the end of the match. From that point on, the fight became a battle between Carlsen’s undeniable fighting spirit and Nakamura’s exceptional speed and sharp game strategy.
More matches between Hikaru and Magnus are expected in the future. A week later they will probably clash in World Rapid and Blitz in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Speed Chess Championship Final: Magnus Carlsen vs Hikaru Nakamura
The final between Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura took place on Sunday, December 18. After eliminating Nihal Sarin and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave respectively, Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen advanced to the final of the Speed Chess Championship. Since Carlsen won the first tournament in 2017, Nakamura has reached the last four.
Carlson holds the lead in blitzes and bullet points. He was also the winner of their previous two SCC matches in the 2016 and 2017 finals. However, prior to this fight, Nakamura was undefeated against Carlson throughout 2022.
The rivalry between Magnus Carlsen and Mitsu Nakamura has been fierce since the pandemic hit and made chess a serious online sport. Both players referred to the spectacular final of the original Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour, where the players met in seven mini-matches before Magnus won by the narrowest possible margin.
Carlsen flies to the final with a commanding lead
Magnus Carlsen beat Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the second semifinal of the 2022 Speed Chess Championship on Friday. The world champion steamrolled through yet another match in what has become a series of dominating victories over the best players in the world. After two consecutive victories for the world champion, Vachier-Lagrave announced his withdrawal from the tournament with 8 minutes left on the clock. However, Carlsen was dissatisfied with the quality of his game in his post-match interview, even though he had almost doubled his score.
Nakamura confirmed for the final
Thursday’s matchup between Hikaru Nakamura and Nihal Sarin in the 2022 Chess Championship between blitz and bullet chess players was won easily by GM Hidetoshi Nakamura.
Hikaru Nakamura once again chose an unorthodox opening to spice up the semi-finals. The reigning champion was ahead of Nihal Sarin from the start and never let up.
Even though Nakamura felt exhausted during the match, he needed to find some energy if he was to secure his fifth straight title on December 20. A coveted clash with GM Magnus Carlsen there is still possible.
Vachier-Lagrave next will face off with Carlsen
GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave defeated GM Wesley So in the Speed Chess Championship on Wednesday. Vachier-Lagrave gained a whopping four-point lead early in the match, but So moved back to level the score at the bounce. The French grandmaster entered a new phase with just 12 minutes left on the clock, winning four straight games to seal the victory.
Nihal beams in triumph over Ding
Nihal Salem played globe championship challenger Ding Liren in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Chess Speed Championship on Friday. With time control speeding up, Nihal beat his opponent 17-9 to assert triumph.
Following his runner-up finish in the inaugural Chess.com Global Championship and Junior Speed Chess Championship previously in 2022, Nihal kept his energy going, directing his challenger by a 7.5-1.5 margin in the bullet section. When it comes to blitz and bullet chess, the 18-year-old’s play advised the target market that he is one of the most superior chess players in the globe.
Hikaru beats Aronian in quarterfinals
In the quarterfinals of the 2022 Speed Chess Championship on Monday, Hikaru Nakamura defeated Levon Aronian by 8.5 points with a superb 15.5 efficiency.
Nakamura quickly took a two-point lead, which was existing in the suit, and was dominant in time scrambles throughout the match. The defending champ will need to against GM Nihal Sarin in the semifinals, and he is likely to play the world champ and GM Magnus Carlsen in the finals on Friday.
Carlsen has an undefeated lead over Caruana
GM Magnus Carlsen took an undefeated 18 factor lead over GM Fabiano Caruana in the 2022 Speed Chess Championship yesterday. Carlsen achieved this unmatched task by excelling in every aspect of the game, including his hallmark skill of maximizing slightly better placements, large tactical understanding, resourcefulness under pressure, and also superb time administration.