Norway’s Magnus Carlsen clinched the first official FIDE Freestyle Chess world championship with a comeback victory over Fabiano Caruana in Germany.

MAGNUS Carlsen added another crown to his collection by becoming the first official FIDE Freestyle Chess world champion. The Norwegian chess master secured the title with a cautious draw in the fourth and final game, clinching a 2.5–1.5 match victory against his American opponent Fabiano Caruana.

Sunday’s turning point came in the thrilling third game. Carlsen, 35, pulled off a stunning win from a seemingly lost position, swinging the entire contest in his favour.

The world number one only needed a draw in the decisive fourth game. He achieved exactly that in an equal endgame, with Caruana missing late opportunities to mount a comeback.

Carlsen has now won 21 world titles in various formats. He had previously failed to capture the FIDE Fischer Random World Championship, making this victory particularly sweet for the chess great.

The World Championship marked a breakthrough collaboration between FIDE and private organiser Freestyle Chess. It staged the first officially recognised title in this format.

In the bronze medal match, Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov beat Germany’s Vincent Keymer. He secured his spot by drawing from a winning position in the final game.

Both finalists and Abdusattorov have qualified for next year’s championship. The tournament’s lower placings saw Hans Niemann of the United States take fifth with a 2-0 victory over India’s Arjun Erigaisi.

Armenia’s Levon Aronian won his Armageddon game against Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov for seventh place. In the women’s exhibition match, Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva prevailed over Switzerland’s Alexandra Kosteniuk after their final encounter ended in a draw.

 The Sun Malaysia