3 min readBudapestNov 13, 2026 11:51 PM ISTMagnus Carlsen’s 15-year reign as the world No. 1 is facing its first real threat after he lost the first game of the third round of the Total Chess pilot tournament to Armenian grandmaster Haik Martirosyan (AI Narration Listen 00:000.5x0.75x1x1.25x1.5x2xMagnus Carlsen’s 15-year reign as the world No. 1 is facing its first real threat after he lost the first game of the third round of the Total Chess pilot tournament to Armenian grandmaster Haik Martirosyan, before American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana defeated Germany’s Vincent Keymer.If the same sequence of results is repeated in the second games on Friday, with Carlsen losing to Martirosyan and Caruana beating Keymer, the five-time world champion from Norway will be dethroned as the world No. 1 in the live ratings for the first time in 15 years. Live ratings are updated in real time, while FIDE publishes its monthly rating list at the start of each month.Over the course of five games at the Total Chess pilot tournament in Budapest, Carlsen is yet to register a victory. After drawing four games, he suffered his first defeat of the tournament against the Armenian, who is 154 Elo rating points behind him.In five games, Carlsen’s winless run has already cost him 16 rating points. Caruana, meanwhile, has been nearly flawless, winning four of his five games and drawing the remaining one. He has added 17 Elo rating points to his tally to mount a challenge for Carlsen’s world No. 1 status. Carlsen’s live rating after the defeat stands at 2809, while Caruana’s is 2800.Also Read | The ex-armyman who organises a chess tournament on 1st Saturday of every monthCarlsen lost to Martirosyan in 41 moves in the first game on Friday. While the game’s evaluation remained equal for most of the contest, Carlsen was in time trouble as early as the 21st move, when he had just six minutes left on his clock compared to Martirosyan’s almost 20 minutes.By the 27th move, Carlsen’s clock was gasping for breath, and he was surviving largely on the 30-second increments he received for making a move. Forced to make quick decisions, Carlsen began to err, with all three of his critical mistakes involving the queen.Meanwhile, the three Indians in action at Total Chess had mixed results. Arjun Erigaisi defeated Wesley So, Praggnanandhaa held Vladislav Artemiev to a draw in what was the longest game of Friday’s first round, while Vaishali lost to Bibisara Assaubayeva.Story continues below this ad(The writer is in Budapest at the invitation of Total Chess).© The Indian Express Pvt LtdAmit Kamath is Assistant Editor at The Indian Express and is based in Mumbai. He primarily writes on... Read More Tags:magnus carlsenAdvertisementLoading Recommendations...AdvertisementAdvertisement