Overview
- Magnus Carlsen won the blitz world championship in Doha, finishing ahead of Nodirbek Abdusattorov as Russia’s Maxim Matlakov and Daniil Dubov placed ninth and tenth.
- Coverage noted Carlsen’s on-board outbursts, including a technical loss after knocking pieces during round 14 and a separate incident of striking the table following time trouble.
- Vladimir Kramnik said he has initiated legal proceedings against FIDE in Lausanne and delivered a document-preservation request, with a mandatory preliminary phase expected to last two to three months.
- SKA beat the Shanghai Dragons 3–2 on a 60th‑minute goal by Yegor Savikov, with Dragons head coach Gérard Gallant absent for health reasons and Mike Kelly serving as acting coach.
- Barys defeated Avangard 4–2 to snap its four‑game skid and end Avangard’s five‑game winning run, while Dynamo Moscow confirmed a January 23–26 friendly meeting with Shanghai Shenhua in the Dynamo Global Challenge.