Ray Robson Wins 5th Consecutive Puzzles World Championship Title

GM Ray Robson did it again, winning his fifth consecutive title at the 2024 Puzzles World Championship. The undisputed G.O.A.T. of Puzzle Rush has won every edition of this tournament since it started in 2020.

This seemed to be his toughest year yet, however, as he faced 14-year-old up-and-coming IM Andy Woodward in the Grand Final. The youngster had a great tournament and even took an early lead against Robson, but the reigning champion then won four points in row to reclaim his crown.

• Puzzle Rush Knockout: Prodigy Impresses, Robson Stays Steady
• Grand Final: Woodward Takes Early Lead, Robson Dominates Second Half

Puzzle Rush Knockout: Prodigy Impresses, Robson Stays Steady

On the previous day, eight players qualified from a field of 99. While solving 56 (!) puzzles in three minutes was the minimum needed to reach this stage, day two would be even more challenging for the young tacticians. Robson and Woodward, the top two seeds, proved to be top two best puzzle-solvers on Friday.

The eight players competed in a Puzzle Battle double-elimination bracket, with best-of-eight matches in the Winners Bracket and best-of-four in the Losers. A notable difference was that players solved the same puzzles as their opponent on day two.

In the first round, all the players started in the Winners Bracket and played a best-of-five series to determine their placements in the next phase.  

Standings After Winners Quarterfinals 

Robson had the most dominant performance, sweeping all five rounds, with a high score of 57, against the talented 17-year-old prodigy GM Christopher Yoo. Displaying his tactical prowess, Woodward was the only other player to match the high score of 57, as he defeated GM Hans Niemann 5-2.

In the following clip, we can see both tactical wizards achieving the same score back-to-back.

Woodward continued to showcase his puzzle mastery in the next round against Xiong, where even after making two early mistakes he was still on par with his super-GM opponent.

Woodward ultimately lost that match, but he went on to later defeat Xiong convincingly, 2.5-0.5, in their rematch in the Losers Final.

Now let's see if you can solve some of the puzzles the experts got wrong. (You'll have a bit more time than they did to solve them!) 

The following puzzle was Niemann's third mistake (on puzzle #56) in round two against GM Raunak Sadhwani. How do you fare? Black to move.

Against Robson, GM Pranav V made his third mistake (on puzzle #50) in round six. Can you improve on his move? Black to move. 

It needs to be mentioned that Niemann initially appeared to have been eliminated by Raunak due a website bug. Niemann's actual score was displayed incorrectly; he reported the issue, and after investigation, the score was corrected and the result was overturned.

That victory was short-lived anyway, as Pranav eliminated Niemann in dramatic fashion in the match that followed. Pranav led 2-1 in a first-to-2.5 format, which meant a draw was equivalent to a loss for Niemann. In the final seconds, Niemann needed to risk getting one wrong to avoid that very situation, with both players on 50 correct puzzles against two misses. Taking that risk is easier said afterward than done in the moment, and time ran out, allowing Pranav to advance by the skin of his teeth.

As for short-lived victories, Pranav himself was eliminated in the following match by the surging Woodward. It lasted just three of the four rounds and Woodward put up a monstrous 58 score in the final battle.

Meanwhile, Robson won the Winners Final by defeating Xiong with a dominant 5-1 score. The 23-year-old super-GM Xiong got a second life against Woodward in the Losers Final, but the young gun needed just three rounds once again to win the match.

Fate was cruel to Xiong in the last round, as Woodward struck out on puzzle #48 and his opponent could have simply not solved it and claimed a round win. Instead, Xiong attempted to solve the puzzle and also struck out—and a draw meant Woodward advanced. 

Well, do you think you can solve puzzle 48, the one both players failed? Black to move. 

Grand Final: Woodward Takes Early Lead, Robson Dominates Second Half

The Grand Final could hardly have started better for Woodward, but his explanation after the match illustrates what went wrong: "I guess I was getting kind of excited and then that's where it started going wrong. I started mouse slipping and making pretty bad mistakes. I guess that's one thing to be improved for next year."

I guess I was getting kind of excited and then that's where it started going wrong.

—Andy Woodward

He built a commanding two-point lead against Robson after putting up 59, his personal best, two times. At first, it seemed like an upset was in the making...

Woodward is up two points against Robson after scoring his personal best of 59 TWICE in the Grand Final!#PuzzleChamps pic.twitter.com/9MJ7EZlmpk

— chess24.com (@chess24com) January 12, 2024

... but Robson proved to be the more consistent solver, scoring at least 50 in every round, while Woodward's scores dipped into the 40s and even 30s. First, Robson evened the match at 3-3... 

Robson evens the score 3-3, and it's a race to 4.5 points!#PuzzleChamps pic.twitter.com/OBZ3OFknwu

— chess24.com (@chess24com) January 12, 2024

... then, he won two more in a row to take the match.

Robson wins $5,000 for his first-place finish while the runner-up Woodward takes home $4,000.

After the match, Robson was full of praise for his teenage opponent, saying: "I know he can actually maintain this sort of level of getting to like 55+ pretty consistently when he's doing well. So I was actually pretty fortunate that he dropped off in the last few."

He also admitted that nothing lasts forever, that the next generation will soon be knocking on the door.

"I think eventually some of these guys are gonna be either surpassing me or very close to my level anyway!" - @RayShayRobson, #PuzzleChamps G.O.A.T. pic.twitter.com/2S59KTD0hK

— chess24.com (@chess24com) January 12, 2024

It's a remarkable achievement for Robson, who proves year after year that he's the best there is at Puzzle Rush and Puzzle Battle. As for Woodward, he plans to be back next year—when he promises to be an even more formidable rival. 

The 2024 Puzzles World Championship (PWC) is a competition for the best chess tacticians in the world. The event is a part of the Puzzle Week celebration and happens on January 11 and 12, starting at 12 p.m. ET/18:00 CET. The PWC features a $25,000 prize fund.

Previous coverage:

• • 14-Year-Old Woodward Rivals Robson As Prodigies Prosper
  • Puzzle Week Returns For 2024