Iranian teenage Chess player defeats world champion

Alireza Firouzja, an Iranian chess genius, has beaten the World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen in the final of the Banter Blitz Cup this week

Firouzja defeated his Norwegian rival, 8.5-7.5, in the final of the online quick-fire knockout contest to claim the $14,000 prize.

“Good game Alireza. I was way out of shape, but he deserves full credit. I’ve just got to be better, but he is amazingly strong. Full credit,” Carlsen said on a Livestream.

Magnus Carlsen is World Champion in classical chess, in rapid, and in blitz. But Alireza Firouzja is also a ferociously strong blitz player and in the past, he has successfully challenged Carlsen in a couple of bullet tournaments.

“The only thing I think about all day is chess, so maybe it’s all day,” the Iranian teenager said.

Firouzja is the second-youngest player to reach the 2700 FIDE rating – the rankings that govern international chess competition. Now, he is number 21 on the FIDE World Ranking List, with a rating of 2728.

Firouzja plays under the flag of FIDE, the global chess organization, after leaving his native Iran to avoid government restrictions. Iran strongly discourages its citizens from competing against Israelis, as a sign of protest against the country and a show of solidarity with the Palestinian people