Magnus Carlsen commented on his win at TePe Sigeman & Co 2026. Magnus says it was hard to switch to Blitz play in the tiebreak, describes his feelings about the victory, and shares his impression of the tournament.

Magnus Carlsen

Magnus Carlsen

World's No. 1

“It was very tough to switch to Blitz mode — I couldn’t find the speed, at all. I won the first game a little bit randomly. In the second game, I got pretty soundly beaten…

After that I was reasonably happy to get Black since that meant an extra half minute. But I soon wasted that… But I’m actually happy with the third game. I played very slowly at first, but eventually I stabilized and felt like I was practically holding the upper hand.

Of course, I think everyone saw my feeling in the end, winning Arjun’s queen. It was more of a relief than anything else.

But I really loved the event. Except the game with Zhu Jiner, where I had a really tough day. I would say I enjoyed more or less everything about it. Great atmosphere, it was fun to play and really exciting in the end as well. It was a fantastic experience!”

The TePe Sigeman & Co 2026 took place from May 1 to 7, in Malmo, Sweden. Magnus Carlsen defeated Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi on Tiebreaks and won TePe Sigeman & Co for the second time.

Credit: Peter Doggers