Weissenhaus, Germany, 16 February (H.S.): World number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway etched another milestone into chess history on Sunday, clinching the inaugural official FIDE Freestyle World Championship with a 2.5-1.5 victory over American Fabiano Caruana in a gripping four-game final.

The 35-year-old sealed the title in the decisive fourth game via a draw—precisely what he needed after Sunday's pivotal third-game triumph from a seemingly lost position—elevating his career tally to 21 world championships across formats.

Trailing potential comeback threats from the 33-year-old Caruana—who squandered several revival chances—Carlsen navigated an equal endgame flawlessly, capping a match defined by his game-three heroics where he overturned a dire predicament to swing momentum decisively.

This FIDE-sanctioned event, a collaboration with Freestyle Chess organizers, marks the first officially recognized Freestyle title; Carlsen, previously unsuccessful in FIDE Fischer Random, now reigns supreme in this innovative variant.

Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov claimed bronze, edging Germany's Vincent Keymer 2.5-1.5 despite a final-game draw after spurning winning opportunities; both finalists and Abdusattorov qualified for the 2027 edition.

American Hans Niemann dominated Indian Arjun Erigaisi 2-0 for fifth, Armenia's Levon Aronian triumphed in Armageddon over Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov for seventh, and Kazakhstan's Bibisara Assaubayeva prevailed in the women's exhibition against Switzerland's Alexandra Kosteniuk via a deciding draw.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar