Carlsen breaks silence on allegation, making an attempt to blackmail FIDE by sharing blitz title: ‘It was a nasty joke’

After
placing the costume controversy behind and making a return to the World Speedy and Blitz Championships in New York Metropolis, Magnus Carlsen making headlines as soon as once more. And as was the case when the world’s top-ranked participant in all three official codecs was disqualified for exhibiting up on the venue in denims, Carlsen continues being within the information for the unsuitable causes.

The five-time world champion courted yet one more controversy after
sharing the Blitz world title with Russian Grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi on the ‘Large Apple’. Each Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi have been a part of 10 gamers who completed on 9.5 factors every on the finish of 13 rounds within the Blitz Championship, with Speedy champion Volodar Murzin and world No 2 Fabiano Caruana additionally among the many gamers that includes within the quarter-final stage.

Carlsen had prompt he share the title with Nepomniachtchi, who defeated comptriot Murzin and American GM Wesley So in quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively, after seven video games within the Open Blitz Closing. It was the primary time in chess historical past {that a} world championship title had been shared, incomes Nepomniachtchi his first blitz title whereas Carlsen gained his eighth.

Tied for first place on a really late Titled Tuesday. Pleased New Yr!

— Ian Nepomniachtchi (@lachesisq) January 1, 2025

The Norwegian GM, nevertheless, finds himself
going through allegations of match-fixing after sharing the blitz title. Carlsen has additionally been within the information currently for being a co-founder of the Freestyle Chess Tour and for
reportedly “blackmailing” FIDE into extending their assist for the non-public tour and even permitting it to have its personal world championship. And the timing of the title-sharing act has solely raised additional questions on the integrity of the championship.

A video exhibiting Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi having a personal dialogue backstage through the ultimate, through which the previous will be heard advising his opponent to “simply play brief attracts till they (FIDE) quit” has served so as to add gasoline to the fireplace.

American GM Hans Niemann, whom Carlsen had defeated within the quarter-final stage of the blitz knockouts, mentioned that the chess world had formally “grow to be a joke”.

“The chess world is formally a joke. THIS HAS NEVER BEEN DONE IN HISTORY. I can’t imagine that the official physique of chess is being managed by a singular participant FOR THE 2ND TIME THIS WEEK. THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE WORLD CHAMPION!” Niemann posted on X on Wednesday.

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Niemann accuses Carlsen of ‘energy play’ amid denims controversy

“FIDE goes from forfeiting Carlsen to creating a wholly new rule. Looks like the regulatory physique of chess, has no intention of being unbiased. They appear to solely care about what one participant thinks.

“I’ll be working my coronary heart out to make it to the ultimate subsequent 12 months to make sure that no ‘CHAMPIONSHIPS’ are arbitrarily ‘SHARED’. Onwards,” the 21-year-old added.

So Carlsen decides on the format, the costume code and the title laws?

— ElliPaehtz (@ElliPaehtz) January 1, 2025

Indian GM Srinath Narayanan, who was the non-playing captain of the Indian ‘Open’ staff within the Chess Olympiad in September, mentioned it was “unsuitable at so many ranges”.

“It’s unsuitable, after all, at many ranges. It additionally exhibits Magnus’s intuition to resort to blackmail if Fide insists on following the laws. The place does energy reside within the chess world, in 2024 or 2025?” mentioned the 30-year-old.

‘It was a nasty joke’: Carlsen

Responding to the controversy, Carlsen sought to minimize the difficulty by calling it a “dangerous joke” and firmly insisting he was not trying to “affect FIDE”.

“I’ve by no means prearranged a attract my profession. Within the video I’m joking with Ian in a scenario with missing decisive tiebreak guidelines. This was clearly not an try and affect FIDE. It was mentioned within the spirit that I believed FIDE would comply with our proposal. If something it was a nasty joke given the gravity of the scenario.

“I feel the match itself confirmed two gamers taking part in excessive degree chess, equally matched and each deserving of a win,” Carlsen wrote on X on Thursday.

The Norwegian chess star will subsequent be seen in motion on the Tata Metal Chess in Wijk aan Zee in Netherlands, the place D Gukesh will probably be in motion for the primary time since being topped world champion in Singapore following his victory over Ding Liren in Singapore.