Armenian Grandmaster Haik Martirosyan Stuns World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, Holds Him to Draw in Rematch

Armenian grandmaster Haik Martirosyan defeated world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and drew their rematch at the Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot 2026 in Budapest, Hungary.

Martirosyan, 26, beat the Norwegian chess star in the fifth round of the group stage on November 13. Playing with the white pieces, he secured the victory in 41 moves against Carlsen, a five-time world chess champion.

The two faced each other again in the sixth round, with Carlsen playing white. That game ended in a draw, giving Martirosyan one win and one draw against the world's top-ranked player.

Martirosyan, rated 2669, entered the tournament more than 150 rating points behind Carlsen, who is rated 2823.

The Armenian grandmaster's results brought his Group C total to 10 points, including three victories in the group stage.

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