Chess drama! Carlsen knocks over pieces, handed defeat - Watch
Magnus Carlsen lost his Round 14 game by forfeit at the World Blitz Championship in Doha after knocking over multiple pieces while under severe time pressure against Haik Martirosyan. The incident, his second outburst at the event, further dented his title hopes. Carlsen now sits fifth, struggling in Blitz despite recently winning a record sixth World Rapid title, as Arjun Erigaisi leads the standings.
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NEW DELHI: World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen was involved in another dramatic incident at the FIDE World Blitz Championship 2025 in Doha, where he lost his Round 14 game by forfeit after knocking over several pieces on the board on Tuesday.
The episode added to a difficult few days for the former world champion, who has struggled to control his emotions under intense time pressure.
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The incident happened when Carlsen was playing Armenian grandmaster Haik Martirosyan. With just two seconds left on his clock, Carlsen tried to make a move but accidentally knocked over four pieces at the same time. In a hurry, he pressed the clock before properly placing the pieces back on the board.
Martirosyan immediately stopped the clock and called arbiter Chris Bird to the table.Watch:
After a long discussion between the officials, the decision went against Carlsen. He accepted the ruling and lost the game by forfeit. At the time of the incident, Martirosyan still had ten seconds on his clock, giving him a clear advantage.As the moment unfolded live, a Chess.com commentator summed up the chaos at the board.
“What on earth is happening. Magnus has no control over pieces. Every single piece just tumbled. Even trying to set them back up, he knocked more pieces down,” the commentator said.The unusual scene attracted the attention of several top players nearby. Grandmasters Fabiano Caruana, Arjun Erigaisi, Alexander Grischuk and Wesley So all stopped to watch. While Wesley So appeared amused, Erigaisi paused his own game to see what was happening.Carlsen badly needed a win in this round to stay in the title race. He had nine points after 13 rounds and was already trailing the leaders by one point. The loss further hurt his chances in the Blitz event, where he has found it hard to match his usual standards. He is currently placed fifth with 12 points.On Monday, he slammed the table, showing frustration after losing on time to India's Arjun Erigaisi. SEE ALSO: World Blitz Championship: Magnus Carlsen slams table, this time after loss to Arjun Erigaisi