FIDE World Chess Championship 2021
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The FIDE World Chess Championship 2021 was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, during Expo 2020. It featured reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsen (Norway) and challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia), the winner of the 2020–21 Candidates Tournament. Carlsen retained the title in a match remembered for the historic Game 6, the longest ever in a World Championship. The result confirmed his dominance and marked his final successful defense before stepping away from the title.
📷 Владимир Барский / Vladimir Barskij: (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons, 10 December 2021.
Winner/Reigning Champion: Magnus Carlsen
Born: 1990, Tonsberg, Norway
By 2021, Magnus Carlsen stood as the undisputed king of modern chess, holding the world title since 2013. Known for his fearless stamina, uncanny intuition, and ruthless endgame skill, Carlsen prepared with elite seconds like Daniil Dubov and Jan Gustafsson, focusing on flexibility over forcing lines. He broke through in Game 6, an epic 136-move duel—longest in World Championship history—shifting the match completely. Carlsen pounced on Nepomniachtchi’s errors in Games 8 and 9, sealing the title with clinical precision. This was the final defense of his crown: in 2022, he voluntarily relinquished it, cementing an era of dominance defined by consistency, depth, and pressure.
«Game 6 was the turning point. It gave me the momentum I needed to control the match.» – Magnus Carlsen
Magnus Carlsen won the world title as challenger against Viswanathan Anand in Chennai 2013, and successfully defended it in four consecutive matches: versus Anand again in Sochi 2014, Sergey Karjakin in New York 2016, Fabiano Caruana in London 2018, and Ian Nepomniachtchi in Dubai 2021.
Opponent: Ian Nepomniachtchi
Born: 1990, Bryansk, Soviet Union (now Russia)
Ian Nepomniachtchi earned his challenge by winning the Candidates Tournament with bold, dynamic play. Known for sharp calculation and rapid intuition, he started strong with five draws but stumbled hard after Game 6. Blunders in Games 8 and 9 signaled a collapse under pressure, revealing cracks in his psychological armor. Still, his experience in Dubai reshaped his career: Nepomniachtchi learned, adapted, and returned to win the 2022 Candidates. In defeat, he proved he belonged in the conversation—his journey just wasn’t finished yet.
«The World Championship is a different experience. I have learned a lot from this match.» – Ian Nepomniachtchi
Match Overview
🗓️ Match Dates: November 24 – December 12, 2021
📍 Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
✅ Format: Best of 14 classical games
⏱️ Time Control: 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves, then 15 minutes for the rest of the game with a 30-second increment from move 61
💰 Prize Fund: $2 million USD, 60% to the winner, 40% to the runner-up
📄 Main Sponsors: Expo 2020 Dubai, Algorand
Historical and Cultural Context
The 2021 match unfolded under the global spotlight of Expo 2020, delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and was the first held in the new 14-game format. While the games began cautiously, Game 6 lit up the chess world—a psychological and physical war of attrition that showcased the extreme mental toll of elite chess. Analysts across Western (e.g. The Guardian, New in Chess) and Eastern (e.g. RIA Novosti, Shakhmaty v SSSR) sources highlighted the clash of temperament and resilience. When Carlsen later announced he would not defend his title again, this match took on historic weight: the end of a reign, and a moment of reckoning.
FIDE World Chess Championship 2021 Games
Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
Game 4
Game 5
Game 6
Game 7
Game 8
Game 9
Game 10
Game 11
FIDE World Chess Championship 2021
Magnus Carlsen, Norway
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FIDE World Chess Championship 2021 Sources
Quote Sources
- FIDE: Post-match interview with Magnus Carlsen
- FIDE: Press conference, Ian Nepomniachtchi
General Sources
- FIDE Archives: Official match reports and regulations
- Lichess: Study: FIDE World Chess Championship 2021
- New In Chess: World Chess Championship 2021 (Issue 2021/8)
- ChessBase: Daily coverage and expert commentary
- The Guardian: Live reports and summaries
- The Week in Chess: Game results and overview
- Expo 2020 Dubai: Event schedule and press briefings
- Wikipedia: Overview and game summaries
- RIA Novosti (translated): Analysis of Nepomniachtchi’s errors in Games 6–9 (archived)
- Shakhmaty v SSSR (archive-only): Historical comparisons to Soviet-era matches (translated excerpts)
- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (translated): [Match analysis and commentary]
- Le Monde (translated): [Game 6 feature in chess column]
Photo Credits
📷 World Chess Championship 2021, game 11
Владимир Барский / Vladimir Barskij: (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons, 10 December 2021.
Sources, image credits, and attributions for this championship are listed on this page. For general information about the World Chess Champions timeline, visit the main page.