Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi have been crowned World Blitz Chess Champions.

Among women, the world champion in blitz chess became the Chinese player Ju Wenjun.

The championship took place in New York and concluded on December 31, just hours before the New Year arrived in America, with a final match between Norwegian player Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi. Neither the four main games nor the three additional ones determined a winner. Before the decisive game, Carlsen suggested to Nepomniachtchi that they not compete for the absolute first place, but rather share it. The Russian grandmaster agreed. Both explained their decision to the referees by stating that they were fatigued after intense games and did not want the winner to be decided based on who had more physical energy left. The president of the International Chess Federation, Arkady Dvorkovich, made the final decision and announced that both players were crowned champions.

Thus, Russian chess players became world champions in both categories for men, with prizes contested in New York - in rapid chess, where 18-year-old Volodar Murzin triumphed, and in blitz, where Nepomniachtchi shared first place with Carlsen.

The championship in New York was marked by a loud scandal involving Carlsen. The Norwegian chess player, who many still regard as the strongest chess player in the world despite his resignation from the classical chess title, was disqualified for violating the dress code at the rapid tournament. The referee fined the player $200 for appearing in jeans and demanded that he change.

Carlsen refused to comply and withdrew from the championship, later stating that he was "tired" of FIDE and did not intend to continue working with the organization. However, after negotiations involving FIDE President Dvorkovich and main sponsor, Kazakh businessman Timur Turlov, he agreed to participate in the blitz tournament. FIDE, in turn, announced a relaxation of the dress code rules. Minor "elegant deviations" are now allowed, such as jeans that match a blazer.

Blitz is a form of chess where players are typically given three minutes per game, sometimes with an addition of two seconds for each move.

Russian chess players compete in international tournaments under a neutral status - under the FIDE flag. This decision was made following Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Nepomniachtchi, one of the strongest chess players in the world, openly condemned the war.