Following a thrilling performance in the final round, five-time chess world champion Magnus Carlsen from Norway won the 2023 Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland, the second leg of the 2023 Grand Chess Tour. Carlsen takes home $40,000 for the win.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230601005497/en/

(Photo: Business Wire)

“While it was close, I am very happy to have come out on top,” said GM Magnus Carlsen. “Thanks to my family, friends and the chess community for following. It’s nice to show that my retirement only lasted a couple of days.”

Placing second in the tournament was local favorite and defending champion GM Jan-Krzyzstof Duda, who led until the final day and ended just short of winning a final game against Carlsen that would have forced a playoff.

“The last day was down to the wire, but we are excited to congratulate Magnus on his achievement during this thrilling event,” said Grand Chess Tour Executive Director Michael Khodarkovsky. “We look forward to seeing Magnus compete in Zagreb during the third leg of the Grand Chess Tour along with his fellow competitors. Thank you to the chess community for your support and thank you to our sponsors - the Superbet Foundation and the Saint Louis Chess Club.”

Tied for third place was GM Wesley So from the United States and GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave from France; GM Levon Aronian from the United States finished in fifth place.

The 2023 Grand Chess Tour, a leading global circuit of international chess tournaments featuring the world’s best players, continues with the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz in Zagreb, Croatia, taking place July 3-10, 2023.

Grand Chess Tour participants are competing for a $1.4 million prize fund over the course of the 2023 season. The prize fund for each of the two classical tournaments is $350,000 and $175,000 for each of the three rapid & blitz events. In addition, a bonus prize fund totalling $175,000 will be awarded to the top three overall Tour finishers.

The prize fund is provided by the 2023 Grand Chess Tour major sponsors Superbet Foundation and Saint Louis Chess Club, both non-profit organizations that support chess education and the mission to expand the game of chess to a worldwide audience.

Tune in for live Grandmaster commentary on grandchesstour.org and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels.

For more information, visit grandchesstour.org.

About the Grand Chess Tour

The Grand Chess Tour is a circuit of international events, each demonstrating the highest level of organization for the world's best players. The legendary Garry Kasparov, one of the world's greatest ambassadors for chess, inspired the Grand Chess Tour and helped solidify the partnership between the organizers. For more information about the tour, please visit grandchesstour.org.

About the Superbet Foundation

Since 2019, Superbet Foundation has made chess one of its core initiatives by organizing the first tournament of the Grand Chess Tour in Bucharest. The Foundation is committed to establishing a tradition of Grand Chess Tour tournaments within the Romanian and Polish chess communities. For more information, visit www.superbetfoundation.com.

About the Saint Louis Chess Club

The Saint Louis Chess Club is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons and special lectures.

Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Saint Louis Chess Club is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit saintlouischessclub.org.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230601005497/en/