Year 2006
Alexander Grischuk
Russia
Won the modern FIDE blitz title in Rishon LeZion and became the first champion of the annual era.
Blitz champions
Chess World Blitz Championship
This World Blitz Chess Championship guide covers the modern FIDE title from 2006 to 2025, including every champion, the years when the event was not held, country labels, title counts, and the records that define elite blitz chess.
Last reviewed: May 30, 2026.
Year 2007
Vasyl Ivanchuk
Ukraine
Added the blitz crown to a career famous for creativity, opening range, and instant tactical resourcefulness.
Year 2008
Leinier Dominguez
Cuba
Became Cuba's world blitz champion with clean calculation and unusually steady fast-chess technique.
Year 2009
Magnus Carlsen
Norway
Started the most successful blitz championship record in the event's modern history.
Year 2010
Levon Aronian
Armenia
Converted his intuitive attacking style and elite rapid-fire pattern recognition into a world blitz title.
NH2011
Year 2011
Not held
-
FIDE did not hold a World Blitz Championship in 2011.
Year 2012
Alexander Grischuk
Russia
Regained the title as FIDE began pairing the World Rapid and World Blitz Championships in the same festival.
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Year 2013
Le Quang Liem
Vietnam
Delivered a breakthrough result for Vietnamese chess and joined the list of elite blitz specialists.
Year 2014
Magnus Carlsen
Norway
Won the blitz title while also standing at the summit of classical chess.
Year 2015
Alexander Grischuk
Russia
Became a three-time world blitz champion, a record that stood until Carlsen's later streak.
Year 2016
Sergey Karjakin
Russia
Won the blitz championship shortly after challenging for the classical world title.
Year 2017
Magnus Carlsen
Norway
Returned to the top of the blitz podium and began a dominant run in the late 2010s.
Year 2018
Magnus Carlsen
Norway
Defended the title with the practical endgame pressure that defines his fastest games.
Year 2019
Magnus Carlsen
Norway
Completed another blitz triumph before the 2020 championship gap.
NH2020
Year 2020
Not held
-
FIDE did not hold the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in 2020.
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Year 2021
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
France
Won the title in Warsaw, matching sharp opening preparation with elite speed-chess tactics.
Year 2022
Magnus Carlsen
Norway
Returned to the blitz throne and strengthened his claim as the format's greatest world champion.
Year 2023
Magnus Carlsen
Norway
Defended the title again during another double-gold Rapid and Blitz performance.
Year 2024
Magnus Carlsen / Ian Nepomniachtchi
Norway / FIDE
Shared the title after a dramatic knockout final in New York.
Year 2025
Magnus Carlsen
Norway
Defeated Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the Doha knockout final to win his ninth World Blitz title.
Current World Blitz Champion
Magnus Carlsen is the current open World Blitz Chess Champion after winning the 2025 title in Doha.
Most World Blitz Titles
Magnus Carlsen leads the modern championship list with 9 titles, including the shared 2024 crown and the outright 2025 title.
Three-Time Champion
Alexander Grischuk won in 2006, 2012, 2015, making him the event's first three-time modern champion.
World Blitz Champions by Player
Shared winners are counted for both title holders. Country labels follow the event summaries used on this page.
Magnus Carlsen
9 titles
2009, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Alexander Grischuk
3 titles
2006, 2012, 2015
Ian Nepomniachtchi
1 title
2024
Le Quang Liem
1 title
2013
Leinier Dominguez
1 title
2008
Levon Aronian
1 title
2010
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
1 title
2021
Sergey Karjakin
1 title
2016
Vasyl Ivanchuk
1 title
2007
Champion Timeline
| Year | Champion | Country | Title # | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Alexander Grischuk | Russia | 1 | Won the modern FIDE blitz title in Rishon LeZion and became the first champion of the annual era. |
| 2007 | Vasyl Ivanchuk | Ukraine | 1 | Added the blitz crown to a career famous for creativity, opening range, and instant tactical resourcefulness. |
| 2008 | Leinier Dominguez | Cuba | 1 | Became Cuba's world blitz champion with clean calculation and unusually steady fast-chess technique. |
| 2009 | Magnus Carlsen | Norway | 1 | Started the most successful blitz championship record in the event's modern history. |
| 2010 | Levon Aronian | Armenia | 1 | Converted his intuitive attacking style and elite rapid-fire pattern recognition into a world blitz title. |
| 2011 | Not held | - | - | FIDE did not hold a World Blitz Championship in 2011. |
| 2012 | Alexander Grischuk | Russia | 2 | Regained the title as FIDE began pairing the World Rapid and World Blitz Championships in the same festival. |
| 2013 | Le Quang Liem | Vietnam | 1 | Delivered a breakthrough result for Vietnamese chess and joined the list of elite blitz specialists. |
| 2014 | Magnus Carlsen | Norway | 2 | Won the blitz title while also standing at the summit of classical chess. |
| 2015 | Alexander Grischuk | Russia | 3 | Became a three-time world blitz champion, a record that stood until Carlsen's later streak. |
| 2016 | Sergey Karjakin | Russia | 1 | Won the blitz championship shortly after challenging for the classical world title. |
| 2017 | Magnus Carlsen | Norway | 3 | Returned to the top of the blitz podium and began a dominant run in the late 2010s. |
| 2018 | Magnus Carlsen | Norway | 4 | Defended the title with the practical endgame pressure that defines his fastest games. |
| 2019 | Magnus Carlsen | Norway | 5 | Completed another blitz triumph before the 2020 championship gap. |
| 2020 | Not held | - | - | FIDE did not hold the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in 2020. |
| 2021 | Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | France | 1 | Won the title in Warsaw, matching sharp opening preparation with elite speed-chess tactics. |
| 2022 | Magnus Carlsen | Norway | 6 | Returned to the blitz throne and strengthened his claim as the format's greatest world champion. |
| 2023 | Magnus Carlsen | Norway | 7 | Defended the title again during another double-gold Rapid and Blitz performance. |
| 2024 | Magnus Carlsen / Ian Nepomniachtchi | Norway / FIDE | 8 / 1 | The shared title was an exceptional outcome of the 2024 knockout final. |
| 2025 | Magnus Carlsen | Norway | 9 | Defeated Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the Doha knockout final to win his ninth World Blitz title. |