Magnus Carlsen came out as the winner of the Norway Chess 2021. It is his third straight title in his home tournament and fourth overall.

The 6-player double round-robin took place at the Clarion Hotel Energy in Stavanger, Norway, from  September 7-17. Each round consisted of a classical game where a win was worth 3 points and a loss - 0. In case of a draw, the players played an Armageddon game, where the winner scored 1½ points, and the loser got just 1 point.

The World Champion had a slow start but picked up steam in the second part of the event and, after scoring three victories in a row, grabbed the lead in the penultimate round. On the last day, Magnus beat Ian Nepomniachtchi in Armageddon and clinched the title.

Alireza Firouzja turned in a very solid performance (+16 rating points) and finished second. Despite losing to Carlsen, he won three micro-matches, and after beating Richard Rapport in a sharp final-round battle, he leapfrogged him in the final standings.

Richard Rapport was in the lead for most of the tournament distance but ended on a low note and had to settle for third place. Nevertheless, the Hungarian put up a strong showing and earned 10 rating points along the way.

Final standings:

Photo: Lennart Ootes/Norway Chess

Official website: norwaychess.no