A thrilling Battle: Carlsen vs Nepomniachtchi - Game 6

The Longest World Championship Game Ever Played

Magnus Carlsen vs Ian Nepomniachtchi - Game 6

03 December 2021
Result: 1-0
Event: FIDE World Chess Championship 2021

The 2021 World Championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi was a 14-game match under the auspices of FIDE. It was played at the Expo 2020 Exhibition Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 26 November to 10 December 2021. Nepomniachtchi had qualified as challenger at the World Championship Candidates (2020/21) tournament.

The time control was 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 60 more minutes for the next 20 moves, then 15 more minutes to the end of the game with 30 seconds added per move from move 61. Draw agreements were not allowed before Black's 40th move. If 7-7 after 14 games, tiebreak games would be played to determine the winner, starting with a best-of-four rapid match at 25 minutes per player with a 10-second increment. If the match was still tied, up to five two-game blitz mini-matches would be played at 5 minutes per player with a 3-second increment, the winner of any mini-match winning the championship. If the players remained tied, an Armageddon game would determine the champion.

The first five games were drawn. Game 6 was a thrilling battle where both sides had chances, but Carlsen ground out a win in 136 moves, the longest world championship game ever. Nepomniachtchi was unable to recover from this blow. He played markedly weaker in the remainder of the match, losing another three games and drawing 2. That gave Carlsen an insurmountable lead of 7½-3½, ending the match. Carlsen thus secured his fifth title and successfully defended his title for the fourth time.