Magnus Carlsen Loses An Endgame, So The Chess World Loses Its Mind
"It's crazy, right?" GM Jorden Van Foreest exclaimed afterwards. "It was also such a crazy game, and it just finished, so I haven’t even had time to collect my feelings or thoughts or anything like that.
"But, yeah, honestly, I didn’t think it would ever happen, so it’s a big moment."
It certainly was a big moment - and the chess world drew a collective breath as it happened: GM Magnus Carlsen on his big return to classical chess had just lost an equal endgame.
Carlsen, the specialist who carries aura of invincibility, does not lose grinding two-hour endgames like this. He barely ever loses games.
But during in a wild battle against the in-form van Foreest in Round 4 of 2026 Tepe Sigeman Chess Tournament in Malmo, Sweden, Carlsen finally crumbled. Just take a look at it here.
The reaction was swift. "A thunderclap," the magazine Europe Echecs announced:
Carlsen's catastrophe unravelled in very slow motion. The game itself was a marathon 88 moves long.
Mistakes began to appear as their pair entered a tricky rook vs knight endgame, and then with the pressure rising the Norwegian played played Na3. That single move cost him the game.
Two moves later, Carlsen resigned. The world number-one is not used to this.
Van Foreest isn't just anyone - he's Carlsen's former second who helped him win the 2021 World Chess Championship. The 27-year-old Van Foreest is a fine player but until now the Dutchman had never beaten his distinguished ex-boss in classical. Unsurprisingly, he was delighted.
The last time Carlsen lost a game of classical he famously slammed the table in annoyance. That was against World Champion GM Gukesh D at Norway Chess 2025.
As Carlsen was grinding out a loss, the Turkish teen sensation GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus beat Sweden's GM Nils Grandelius to grab the sole lead in the tournament.
Erdogmus is cooking right now having gained more than 100 FIDE points in the last few months. In Malmo, he is the only player on a plus-two score with three rounds to go.
Round 5 takes place on Friday. You can find out more about the tournament at the event website here.
Expect more fireworks!