5 Things We Learned — Speed Chess Championship 2024

GM Magnus Carlsen just won his fourth Speed Chess Championship title, defeating GMs Alireza Firouzja and Hans Niemann along the way. 

Firouzja was the runner-up after he stopped GM Hikaru Nakamura from reaching the Title Match for the first time in SCC history. 

Let's unpack what happened during the three days of the Speed Chess Championship Final hosted live in Paris.

1. Firouzja Is the Prince
2. Carlsen Is Still The King
3. Hans Has Improved, But Magnus And Hikaru Were Never Worried
4. The Live Esports Format Was A Unique Experience For Fans
5. Are Carlsen And Nakamura Nearing the End of Their Competitive Careers?

1. Firouzja Is The Prince

After finishing second-to-last in the 2024 Candidates Tournament, Firouzja has been winning nearly everything he's competed in, gaining a slew of titles in an array of time controls.

In the online arena, he's the 2024 Bullet Chess Champion. He won the Chess.com Classic, and he currently leads the Champions Chess Tour. Over-the-board, he recently won the St. Louis Rapid & Blitz and the Sinquefield Cup back-to-back, clinching the Grand Chess Tour in the process.

In the Speed Chess Championship, he added another achievement to his 2024 comeback. He became the first player―other than Carlsen―to defeat Nakamura in an SCC match. This set up the first-ever SCC Title Match without Nakamura.

Before the match, Nakamura himself shared his view that Firouzja stands out ahead of the rest of the younger generation: "If I look at the juniors, just based on the peak he had over 2800, he is the one with the most potential still."

If I look at the juniors, just based on the peak he had over 2800, he is the one with the most potential still.

―Hikaru Nakamura on Alireza Firouzja

When Carlsen won his own Semifinals match, he revealed:

That match [against Firouzja] is a lot more motivating since I'm actually playing somebody who is at, you know, the highest level. And I know I really have to bring it.

2. Carlsen Is Still The King

Despite Firouzja's incredible run this year, Carlsen stopped the 21-year-old in his tracks. The world number-one defeated his younger rival by a 16-point margin and achieved the highest-ever score in the Final of any SCC. Carlsen even dominated in the 1+1 segment vs. the 2024 Bullet Champion, finishing with an eight-game winning streak. 

Carlsen commented:

Days like today are what I play for... I'm very, very happy with my performance and the fact that I managed to put up a really, really good score against one of the best players in the world because I know I'm capable of it... What I was most happy about my performance today was I was thinking a lot clearer with little time.

Days like today are what I play for.

―Magnus Carlsen

Firouzja reflected on the match:

I'm very happy that there is someone like Magnus that could beat me like this because, it's weird to say, but it could get a bit depressing if at this age I could win all the games. This is what I was thinking during the match, and this motivates me a lot to improve more.

The 13th world champion, Garry Kasparov, shared his perspective on Firouzja's mentality with a single emoji on X.

🎯 https://t.co/NFTgHyLZiH

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) September 9, 2024

3. Hans Has Improved, But Magnus And Hikaru Were Never Worried

Niemann has had an impressive run this year. He's risen to number 16 in the world and reached a peak rating of 2733. He's won every match in his recent series of exhibition matches, including a blitz-only match vs. GM Vidit Gujrathi and then matches with classical, rapid, and blitz vs. GMs Anish Giri, Nikita Vitiugov, and Etienne Bacrot. On his road to qualifying for the SCC Finals, Niemann defeated GMs Wesley So and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.

The 21-year-old was racking up victories against some of the strongest grandmasters in the world, and he was abundantly confident that Carlsen would be next. When speaking with IM Levy Rozman, Niemann corrected his interviewer's question about the match from "if you win" to "when I win." He expanded:

I think that [Carlsen's] already broken. I saw his interview after the Erigaisi match. He already seemed broken and mentally destroyed. I think that as long as I can look him in the eyes and understand that there’s absolutely nothing he can do to even enter my mind space, then I believe that victory will be mine.

Yet, early in their match, Carlsen took over. The world number-one dominated the 5+1 portion with a 7-2 score, and he kept his lead for the rest of the match. In the bullet segment, Carlsen reached a 10-point lead. 

When interviewed, Carlsen acknowledged his opponent’s recent progress but said he hadn't been concerned:

Niemann has become a good player, a very good player, but thinking that our levels were going to be close was not realistic... I don't think we learned anything particularly new about our respective playing strengths this weekend.

After Nakamura beat Niemann in the Consolation Match, the world number-two revealed a different view:

Honestly, having played Hans in some blitz a couple years ago, I thought he played much better then than he did today, frankly… Maybe in classical, he’s better, but I thought the blitz games I played against him in like 2021-2022, he was a better player than he was today.

Nakamura defeated Niemann by a 12-point margin. In addition, the 36-year-old grandmaster also outscored his opponent in every single segment from 5+1 to bullet.

Despite losing both matches, Niemann’s confidence was unwavering. He shared why:

While people might find my belief in myself controversial, I view it as a necessity for success.

Although these defeats were humbling and I learned a lot from them, it still has reaffirmed my faith that being the best is possible. The path and the specifics of what must be improved has become very clear.

While people might find my belief in myself controversial, I view it as a necessity for success.

―Hans Niemann

4. The Live Esports Format Was A Unique Experience For Fans

For the first time, the SCC Finals were hosted with a live audience. It took place at ESpot, an Esports venue in Paris. Sitting across from each other at computers, players wore noise-cancelling headphones and listened to pre-selected music playlists during their games. Spectators were free to talk and cheer as they watched from tiered seating.  

Carlsen shared his excitement in the format:

I really think this is a format that chess needs more of... We know from casual games that spectators don’t really shut up when people are playing. So, let’s give them a chance to get the hype going.

At the end of his matches, Nakamura expressed a heartfelt reflection on the experience:

Towards the end of this match, I was thinking—sometimes I get emotional about these things—at least one time I was able to play in front of the fans. Because I would say most of these Speed Chess Championships, I haven’t. I mean, I know I did in South Africa years ago, but to have the chance to play in front of the fans, at least one time, was quite nice.

 To have the chance to play in front of the fans, at least one time, was quite nice. 

—Hikaru Nakamura

Congrats to @chesscom, they have created a format that makes chess into purely a sport, and even a
meaningful spectator sport.
Very impressive! #SpeedChessChampionship

— Peter Heine Nielsen (@PHChess) September 8, 2024

5. Are Carlsen And Nakamura Nearing the End of Their Competitive Careers?

Despite being number two in the world and the only player over 2800 other than Carlsen, Nakamura expressed uncertainty in how much longer he'll be playing professional chess:

I think I have maybe one or two more Candidates cycles left. Probably the biggest impediment to playing professionally is more motivation than anything else. I find it actually quite difficult to find the motivation to study, to be inspired to play chess. We’ll see how long I can keep it going. I think the next couple of years, I still will be very competitive at the top level. But I’d say five years from now, it’s anybody’s guess whether I’ll be playing professionally.

Does Carlsen share Nakamura's feelings? The five-time world champion reflected:

I'm a few years younger than Hikaru. Look, I know I'm going to be past at some point, but I feel that even though my average level probably has gone down a little bit from my peak, I feel like I can still be very, very close to it on specific days. I think I'll be around for a while still. They will have to earn it. I'm not going to necessarily give it to them. 

 I'll be around for a while still. They will have to earn it.

―Magnus Carlsen

What was your biggest takeaway from the Speed Chess Championship? Let us know in the comments below!

The Speed Chess Championship is Chess.com's most important speed chess event. Some of the biggest names in chess compete to determine the best speed chess player in the world. The main event started with qualifiers on June 27 and 28 and concluded with the first-ever Final on September 8, live in Paris. The games were played with time controls of 5+1, 3+1, and 1+1. The prize fund was $173,000.

Previous reports:

• Carlsen Wins 4th SCC Title With Greatest Score Margin In SCC Final History
• Nakamura Defeats Niemann By Double Digits In Consolation Match
• Carlsen Takes 10-Point Lead Before Beating Niemann, Firouzja On Fire Vs. Nakamura
• Nakamura Takes Off In Bullet, Sets Up Semifinal Match Vs. Firouzja In Paris
• Carlsen Qualifies For SCC Finals In Paris, Will Play Niemann In Semifinals
• Niemann Advances To SCC Finals In Paris & Potential Match With Carlsen, Blasts 'Chess Establishment'
• Firouzja Scores Nearly Double Caruana, Qualifies For Paris Semifinals
• Niemann, Caruana Advance To Quarterfinals After Superior Bullet Performances
• Firouzja Fireworks Lead To Win Over Grischuk, So Outlasts Lazavik
• Carlsen Keeps It Classy, Nepomniachtchi Does A Houdini
• Arjun Prevails At The Final Turn, Nakamura Dominates
• Lazavik Qualifies For SCC Main Event, Goes Undefeated On Day 2
• Pranesh Tops Swiss Qualifier, 8 Players Move On To Knockout Stage
• Paris To Host Live Final Of 2024 Speed Chess Championship: Nakamura, Carlsen Confirmed