Overview
- Magnus Carlsen beat Fabiano Caruana 2.5–1.5, closing the match with a safe draw in game four after overturning a lost position to win game three.
- The victory gives Carlsen 21 world titles across formats, adding freestyle to his classical, rapid, and blitz crowns.
- Nodirbek Abdusattorov defeated Vincent Keymer for bronze, while Hans Niemann took fifth over Arjun Erigaisi and Levon Aronian clinched seventh in an Armageddon decider against Javokhir Sindarov.
- Both finalists and Abdusattorov qualified for next year’s championship under the event’s advancement rules.
- The Feb. 13–15 tournament at Germany’s Weissenhaus resort featured an eight‑player 10+5 round‑robin feeding 25+10 knockouts and offered a $300,000 purse with $100,000 to the winner.