The King Returns: Magnus Carlsen Clinches TePe Sigeman & Co. 2026 in Dramatic Tiebreak
Magnus Carlsen defeated Arjun Erigaisi in the Blitz Playoff to win the 31st TePe Sigeman & Co. 2026. Even after taking a break from Classical Chess, whenever Magnus comes back to play, he is considered the main contender. Magnus always proves it to be right. After getting a shocking loss against Jorden van Foreest in the 4th round, Magnus came back and won 3 games on demand. Going into the last round, Arjun Erigaisi was leading with a half point over Magnus and Yagiz. Arjun drew his game against Woodward, and Magnus won against Yagiz to force a blitz playoff. Magnus managed to beat Arjun 2-1 in the blitz playoff to win his 1st TePe Sigeman & Co title. Photo: Peter Doggers/ tepesigemanchess
A long wait of 22 years
After becoming the Grandmaster, TePe Sigeman & Co., 2004, was Carlsen's first tournament. And when he came back to take part in this event after 22 years, he managed to win it in style. Magnus entered the final round a half point down from Arjun Erigaisi. He played an amazing game to defeat Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus in a long battle that lasted more than 5 hours. He did the job, and Arjun drew his game against Andy Woodward. This meant that Magnus had to play tiebreaks against Arjun in 30 minutes!
Check out the games!
Now we will bring you all the action from the 7th round.
Magnus Carlsen vs Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus (1-0)
It was the first game between Magnus and Yagiz after Yagiz broke the record for becoming the youngest player to reach 2700 in chess history. The last time both players played was in Doha during World Rapid and Blitz 2025, where Magnus outplayed Yagiz in the endgame. The same thing happened here in the last round: Magnus played a brilliant endgame to win against Yagiz.
In the above position, Magnus played 50.g6 with the idea of restricting the black knight. Yagiz could have played Ng7 or f4 to maintain the equality, but instead, he played 50.Ke7 turned out to be a game-losing mistake, as white can enter with Kb5, Ka6, and grab the pawn on a7.
Arjun Erigaisi vs Andy Woodward (0.5-0.5)
Going into the last round, Arjun was in a sole lead, but still, he went all in against Woodward, and it backfired badly as Arjun found himself in a pickle. Arjun was evidently in a losing position throughout the middlegame; his king was weak, pieces were not active, but somehow Andy slipped the advantage. He got the chance again in the endgame; however, under time pressure, he missed the correct continuation again, and Arjun held a draw.
This was Woodward's last chance to win the game, but he played 52.h4, and Arjun managed to hold a draw. Better was to play 52...Kd6 first.
Blitz Playoff: Arjun vs Carlsen
Magnus started in style with a clean win against Arjun in the 1st Blitz game. Arjun struck back in the 2nd Blitz game - it was now time for Sudden Death! Magnus won the sudden-death game with the Black pieces to win the tournament. Check out the games below.
Game 1
In the first game, Arjun got the white pieces, and the game was heading towards a draw, but under time pressure, Arjun made a critical mistake in the endgame, and Magnus managed to get the early lead.
Game 2
The second game was a must-win game for Arjun if he wanted to keep the playoff going on, and this time Arjun managed to beat Carlsen with black pieces in 39 moves.
Game 3: Sudden Death
After pulling a great victory in the Second Tiebreak game, it was time to play the sudden-death game. Magnus managed to do the Magnus things and won this game in style to win the 31st TePe Sigeman & Co. 2026 Chess Tournament.
Replay Playoff Games
Check out what happened in the Playoffs
Check out the insane video with some amazing moves played by both players. Who will win the tournament? Commentary by IM Sagar Shah.
Replay Round 7 games
Closing Ceremony
Photo Gallery: Here
An interview with Magnus Carlsen just moments after he won the TePe Sigeman 2026 tournament. Video & interview: Peter Doggers peterdoggers.com
Round 7 Results
White | Result | Black |
|---|---|---|
Magnus Carlsen | 1-0 | Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş |
Arjun Erigaisi | ½-½ | Andy Woodward |
Nils Grandelius | ½-½ | Jiner Zhu |
Nodirbek Abdusattorov | ½-½ | Jorden van Foreest |
Final CrossTable after 7 rounds
Player | Rating | Pts. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Arjun Erigaisi | 2751 | 5 | x | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 |
2 | Magnus Carlsen | 2840 | 5 | ½ | x | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
3 | Nodirbek Abdusattorov | 2780 | 4 | ½ | ½ | x | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ |
4 | Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus | 2708 | 4 | ½ | 0 | ½ | x | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 |
5 | Jorden van Foreest | 2735 | 3.5 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | x | ½ | ½ | ½ |
6 | Andy Woodward | 2635 | 3 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | x | 0 | 1 |
7 | Zhu Jiner | 2546 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | x | ½ |
8 | Nils Grandelius | 2662 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | x |
Tiebreak results
Standing | Player | Rating | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2869 | 2 | |
2 | 2776 | 1 |
Live Stream: Round 7
Commentary with Amruta Mokal | ChessBase India
Previous Winners
Winner | Year |
|---|---|
Javokhir Sindarov | 2025 |
Nodirbek Abdusattorov | 2024 |
Peter Svidler | 2023 |
Hans Niemann | 2022 |
Jorden van Foreest | 2021 |
Gawain Maroroa Jones | 2019 |
Time control
90 minutes for 40 moves and then 30 minutes for the remaining moves with 30 seconds cumulative increment for each move starting from the first move (Malmö rules-no draws before move 40).
Schedule
1st May - 6th May - 3 p.m. CET (6:30 p.m. IST)
7th May - 12 p.m. CET (3:30 p.m. IST)
Important Links
Related News
Arjun, Magnus or Yagiz, who is going to win TePe Sigeman & Co 2026?
Arjun Erigaisi beats Jorden van Foreest, Carlsen bounces back at TePe Sigeman & Co 2026
Is the King Rusty? Magnus Carlsen Suffers Loss against Jorden van Foreest at TePe Sigeman 2026
Arjun Erigaisi is back in the World Top 10 after beating Nils Grandelius at TePe Sigeman 2026
Magnus Carlsen beats Nils Grandelius at TePe Sigeman & Co 2026
Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Andy Woodward start with a win, Arjun drew against Carlsen
Magnus Carlsen, Arjun Erigaisi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov will be seen in action at 31st TePe Sigeman & Co 2026