Breaking News: Magnus Carlsen won't defend his title!

by ChessBase
7/21/2022 – Ending months of speculation, Magnus Carlsen has officially announced he will not be defending his title in a rematch against Ian Nepomniachtchi come the end of 2022. As a result, the second-place winner of the 2022 Candidates Tournament, Ding Liren, will face the Russian to determine the new World Champion. (Photo: Albert Silver)
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Although this was not the first time he had voiced reservations about the World Championship matches, many did not fully believe it would come down to this. Even Garry Kasparov recently expressed his doubts it would happen. 

"[...]If Magnus plays, and I can hardly believe he will not, we’ll probably see a tougher match."

Yet in a podcast that aired Tuesday, Magnus Carlsen ended the speculation once and for all as he explained he had already met with FIDE and made his decision known.

The decision

"[...]I’ve spoken to people in my team, I’ve spoken to FIDE, I spoke to Ian as well. And the conclusion is, yeah, it’s very simple, that I am not motivated to play another match. I simply feel that I don’t have a lot to gain, I don’t particularly like it, and although I’m sure a match would be interesting for historical reasons and all of that, I don’t have any inclination to play and I will simply not play the match."

He did go further to explain that the stress of the matches, more than even boredom, as many have opined, Magnus included, has weighed down on it. The many books on past matches certainly lend credence to this. Readers will recall the tales of hypnotists and coded yogurts in Karpov-Korchnoi, the endless behind-the-scenes battles in the 1972 match between Fischer and Spassky, and the Toiletgate scandal between Kramnik and Topalov in their reunification match in 2006 to name but a few.

"But the matches themselves have been at times interesting, at times a little bit of fun. The most fun match probably was the one in 2018. At least that was the most interesting one, and probably also for me it had the least stressful moments [...]"

Not retirement

Magnus Carlsen was quick to assure this was not a repeat of the Fischer incident nearly 50 years ago. While he won't defend his title, nor is he resigning it as Bobby Fischer did, and more importantly he is neither retiring from chess, nor even taking a step back from active play.

"Just so there’s no ambiguity here, I’m not retiring from chess, I’m still going to be an active player. I’m leaving later today to go to Croatia to play the Grand Chess Tour. From there on I’m going to go to Chennai to play the Olympiad, which is going to be a lot of fun [...] Obviously, I enjoy them a lot more than I enjoy the World Championship, and frankly I don’t see myself stopping as a chess player any time soon."

The forthcoming title match

Ultimately this means that per the FIDE rules, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren will face each other for the next title bout and the winner of it will become the new World Champion. What does this mean should the World no.1 and World Champion not be the same person? This is not a unique situation, and even after the 2000 match loss to Vladimir Kramnik, who now held the title, Garry Kasparov was still the Elo dominant player for the years to come.

Statement by FIDE President Arkadij Dvorkovich

As published on the official FIDE website

While Magnus Carlsen has not officially withdrawn yet, as he has not been sent the contract for the match and a deadline has not been formally set, at FIDE we understand his decision is final.

In view of that, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich has issued the following statement:

Magnus Carlsen deserves nothing but respect from FIDE, and from the whole chess community, in whatever decision he makes regarding his career. Only a handful of people in history can understand and assess the tremendous toll that it takes playing five matches for the title.

Many other great champions, in other sports, have experienced something similar: with the passing of the years, it is more difficult to find the motivation to train and compete at the highest level, while the reward for the victory never feels as intense as the first day.

We had hoped that after some deserved rest, Magnus would look at this differently. Sports legends like him always strive for goals and records. He is still young and could possibly have added more classical titles to his already outstanding career, as he will surely try in the Rapid and Blitz modalities, which he favours.

Since he first expressed his doubts publicly, FIDE has been open to dialogue and to consider specific proposals to change the format of the World Championship. Some of these ideas were discussed in May with Carlsen and other top players, and in Madrid, we had a meeting where all the concerns were discussed openly and in detail. Alas, it did not change his mind.

His decision not to defend his title is undoubtedly a disappointment for the fans, and bad news for the spectacle. It leaves a big void. But chess is now stronger than ever —in part, thanks to Magnus— and the World Championship Match, one of the longest and most respected traditions in the world of sports, will go on.

Topics: breaking news, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Magnus Carlsen, World Championship, World Championship 2022
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nirvana1963 nirvana1963 7/21/2022 02:52
@ lajosarpad What have Karjakin's possible claims (?) to do with the fact that Carlsen refuses to defend his title? I don't understand. To be honest I think Karjakin has no claims at all, he should have been banned for life.
arzi arzi 7/21/2022 02:48
MC has defended his title 5 times in 8 years, without forgetting the corona problem of a couple of years during that time. Every time he has to prepare to the next opponent. Sometimes he can't participate in a tournament he wants to because the upcoming WC match is either at the same time or too close. I completely understand why Magnus no longer wants to continue this "squirrel wheel". He already told before the candidates that he probably won't play the WC match unless the opponent is Firouzja. It doesn't matter what other people think about him giving up his title. It's his choice and we should respect it without unnecessary whining and complaining. Magnus Carlsen is a worthy champion eventhough some people say against it. This desicion of resign does not change his worthiness.

There is no harm for chess because of his resign of title. This whole match system has been a bad for chess. The first match between Karpov and Kasparov proved that six win system was idiotic. The 24-game match was no better. It couldn't be played every year. The current system also caused many problems, the latest of which was the handing over of the reigning world champion's title. All candidate matches were completely pointless and time-consuming. Only the few and the chosen could enter them. And the championship could be decided by blitz games. Months of preparation, candidate matches could have led to a blitz game that decided the champion. 128 players cup system is the only reasonable system. The whole tournament in a two weeks once in a year, without preparations of months of the players. Even Magnus Carlsen would play in it, I bet.
Almo77 Almo77 7/21/2022 02:28
Add a zero or two to the end of prize money and this will never be an issue again
laramonet laramonet 7/21/2022 01:33
Would a return to a three year cycle make any difference ?
MauvaisFou MauvaisFou 7/21/2022 12:37
wow ! thank you lajosarpad, for your strong statement. I was feeling isolated, even on sites devoted to chess (of course, in general newspapers, nobody understood my critics on this decision)
<< Why would the Olympic Committee favor chess at all, if the very person who is the best player does not find a match interesting? >> The is very nicely put !
AgainAgain AgainAgain 7/21/2022 11:26
While Carlsen is undoubtedly the best player of the last decade, but he wasn't that successful in the WC matchplay format. 2 times he "only" won by going into rapid playoff. Against 2 players of his own generation. Therefore it is not quite correct to say that he dominated in WC play.
In my opinion the WC format is quite broken if the Classic World Champion is decided in Rapid/Blitz. There is surely a better way to do this, so we do not end up with a 12-game draw-fest followed by rapid/blitz. Again...
lajosarpad lajosarpad 7/21/2022 10:24
Chess will have lots of problems now. With the exclusion of the qualified Karjakin from the cycle and the inclusion of the unqualified Ding Liren, the possibility of a schism was already threatening. Now, that Carlsen refused to defend his title, Karjakin's possible claims will gain more legitimacy. An irresponsible, selfish and arrogant decision by Carlsen.
lajosarpad lajosarpad 7/21/2022 10:18
Chess is a sport. The world "champion" suggests extreme endurence and strength. Magnus Carlsen was one of the great champions of chess. Yet, in order to keep the title, one needs to show he is the best in abilities and endurance.

Magnus's current move is arrogant and difficult to understand. If he believes that he would easily crush Nepo, then he should have no difficulties during the preparation phase, he could relax. This makes me think he knows perfectly well that Nepo is a worthy challenger and Carlsen knows perfectly well that he needs to work extremely hard in order to be able to defend his title against Nepo. So, this decision might be motivated by a lack of will to work or by fear of losing. Maybe a combination of the two.

Anyway, with this gesture in my view he became unworthy to be a champion. He doesn't retire? Fine. I hope he loses every game he plays :)

After all, the damage he has done is undeniable. Why would anyone pay 30$ or so just to see a game not even the players find interesting? Why would the Olympic Committee favor chess at all, if the very person who is the best player does not find a match interesting?

Carlsen has a right to make this decision, I'm not questioning that. But this decision is harmful for organized chess.
Jacob woge Jacob woge 7/21/2022 10:16
This is why chess players need to be starving..

Comparison with Lasker-Capablanca could be appropriate. Lasker wanted to simply resign his title, but ultimately played. Was that good for chess or bad for chess? Now there's an easy question for once. It's part of chess legacy that the title is lost, not given away.
MauvaisFou MauvaisFou 7/21/2022 09:31
ChrisHolmes : Karpov is 12 years older than Kasparov, played all these matches without ever thinking of forfeiting, and lost them extremely narrowly. Now if you are telling that Chess is tiring, and even exhausting, yes it is.
TheDock TheDock 7/21/2022 08:55
Six month of intense preparations with a team. So much more information must be remembered due to deep computer analyzes. In every opening. So much easier 30 years ago. No computers, fewer played openings. Then sitting playing for up to eight hours four five times a weeks. Where the slightest mistake may cost everything. Pressure on the players are insane. Totally understandable decision by Magnus. But I as everyone else would love to see him play!!
AidanMonaghan AidanMonaghan 7/21/2022 07:44
Lacking Motivation But Admitting To Stress?

(Indicating Desire To Win)

Doesn't Make Sense.

Both Magnus & The Title Are Somewhat Diminished Now.
arzi arzi 7/21/2022 06:23
Martin-A-30: "Nepo should have draw odds"

Not in this format, but if the match is played only with 24 classical time format games and no rapid or blitz.

Maybe we should go back to the cup system and forget this current match system. We could have WC matches every year and there would be no need for weeks or months of preparation against certain opponents. Cup system to the best of 128 players. Good prizes, a year of fame and open to all (128) who believe in themselves. The duration of the competition should be only 2 weeks, at most. In that case, MC could be included in the WC competition again.
Martin-A-30 Martin-A-30 7/21/2022 05:30
Nepo should have draw odds. This will not be a World Champion vs Challenger match. This will be a first place vs second place match. Giving Ding equal standing in the match would be wildly unfair.
Daniel Quigley Daniel Quigley 7/21/2022 05:24
Nepo - Ding will be a fun match to spectate too. I've often wondered why more matches among the world's top ten are not arranged. It would be great fun to see a Nakamura - So twelve game match, for example, or a So - Caruana. If more top ten players got more match experience maybe they wouldn't have become so overwhelmed when they went up against Magnus in a match. He always has an edge in terms of match experience now.
karavamudan karavamudan 7/21/2022 05:21
World championship is yet another tournament. Who has the highest ELO and is able to consistently beat the rest of the world class opponents is the true champion. Magnus stature will not diminish because of this forfeit. Perhaps holding world championship too frequently robs the incumbent world champion from enjoying his status, develop new ideas with a relaxed mind. After winning the title, he has to look over his shoulder for his next potential opponent.
garyroe garyroe 7/21/2022 03:15
Magnus is a great champion but he is burnt out. He should rest between tournaments more. And you never really got to mentally unwind or relax between World Chess Championships. The preparation and games are very intense. Having the WCC every 2 years, instead of 3 years, and reducing the number of championship games from 24 to 12 games is a bad idea. I never liked those unfortunate decisions. Bad for chess but ok for profit I assume.
fixpont fixpont 7/21/2022 02:52
he already beat the old guards (Anand) beat the contemproraties (Karja, Fabi, Nepo) and he wanted to beat the NEXT generation (Firo) because no WC has ever done that properly, i totally see he lost his motivation against a guy whom he smashed last time like a cockroach and who is mentally obviously too weak to MC
Leavenfish Leavenfish 7/21/2022 02:20
@MauvasiFou - wrong, you mention that " Hikaru did not know it at that time, or was not sure, because Carlsen forfeits long AFTER the candidates. "

EVERYONE knew 1st and 2nd would play in a Wch Match if Magnus decided not to play...therefore everyone angled for that coved 2nd place. FIDE even said the top two would play if Magnus abdocated the thrown.
tom_70 tom_70 7/21/2022 02:18
FIDE can crown whomever they want as the World Champion, but we all know Magnus is still the best chess player in the world and it's not even close.
TwoZero TwoZero 7/21/2022 01:50
This is what happens when you move away from traditional formats that worked in the past:

3 Year cycle: 16-18 Game match (So that the match fits into one month.) Champion gets draw odds.

No contenders seeded in by rating unless one drops out of the candidates tournament.

The match is more of a special event with longer build up due to the 3 year cycle, with an actual match at the end.

This is not hard.
Ajeeb007 Ajeeb007 7/21/2022 01:39
I don't blame him for not wanting to submit to that grind again. Obviously, unlike Fischer, he isn't afraid of losing. He's made his fortune and has no motivation to enter the pressure cooker of another title match. Every two years is too often. It sounds like a cycle created by people who have never played a WCC match.
mc1483 mc1483 7/21/2022 01:39
For the reasons everyone has explained, a 3 year cycle - and a longer match - was much better. It was Ilyumzhinov that wanted to change everything, and ended ruining everything. The risk now is not "we'll have a champion who is not the strongest player", but "we could go back to pre-war chess, with every champion doing what he likes, and Fide worth nothing".
lagrigorescu lagrigorescu 7/21/2022 01:32
First off, Magnus is a great champion but also a great, selfless man. In terms of chess legacy he is right there with Kasparov for example, but surpasses Gary in terms of human quality many times over, on many dimensions. Magnus is not only the best, undisputed no. 1 player in the World for the last 10 years, but also helped other young players to grow and gain by inviting them to tournaments he helped organized. He made it possible in the times of COVID pandemic for other elite players to earn an income by finding sponsors for online format. He gave Tari every chance possible to play along him. His public appearances are a class act, and with all that he promoted chess - and chess players - to a status never achieved before beyond chess community. He remains no.1 player in the World and it will be hard for the future World Champion to prove his own dominance. If that will not happen, it will lead to changes that will see chess rankings getting closer to tennis format. As disappointing as the news that Magnus will not play for the match, he deserves nothing but accolades for making a tough but correct decision. Remember Simone Bile not competing in the vault at the Tokyo Olympics because she assessed risks she was not willing to take? She got only praise for that decision and so should Magnus do.
utpic utpic 7/21/2022 01:16
It is disappointing and slightly baffling how this is not considered bringing the game of chess into disrepute. If he retired from chess that is one thing. But he aims to continue to be no.1 in the FIDE ranking system on the one hand while rejecting FIDE's world championship system on the other. In practice it makes a mockery of FIDE and demotes the status of the World Championship.
ChrisHolmes ChrisHolmes 7/20/2022 11:40
WC matches K-K:
Moscow 1984-85 Kasparov was aged 21,
Moscow 1985 Kasparov was aged 22,
London-Leningrad 1986 Kasparov was aged 23,
Sevilla 1987 Kasparov was aged 24,
New York-Lyon 1990 after a 3 year gap Kasparov was aged 27
London 1993 vs Short after a 3 year gap Kasparov was aged 30,
NY 1995 vs Anand after only a 2 year gap Kasparov was aged 32,
London 2000 vs Kramnik after a 5 year gap Kasparov was aged 35 & HE LOST!
All the matches with gaps of less than 2 years occurred when Kasparov was less than 25 !!!

Botvinnik, who played very little chess between triennial world championship matches, said that a match took years off your life.

Carlsen seems to have been expected to keep the money pouring in for FIDE every 2 years for the foreseeable future. Give the guy a break.
twamers twamers 7/20/2022 11:26
I think very disappointing news for the chess world. The young World Champion does not wish to defend his title. Honestly 14 game matches are not like the old 24 match games we used to have and I certainly would like to see matches move out to at least 18 games played over the 3 year cycle we used to have. But anyway if he doesn't want to play that's his choice and the title should be removed from him. Again I think it's a great shame as he is a brilliant player although of course in 2 of his world title defences (Karjakin and Caruana) he could not win the match on the classical level and needed to rely on the faster time limits which I personally do not like to see in the Classical World Championship. But the chess world must move on from this.
reddawg07 reddawg07 7/20/2022 10:55
According to Karpov, the most probable reason Fischer didn't play against him was because of the fear of losing.
Carlsen's main concern is, that he is no longer hungry enough or the championship is no longer fun, that he may be unable to give the required amount of preparation for a world championship. Thus losing becomes more probable. With a fortune now of at least 50 million dollars, there is no reason why Carlsen should risk losing a championship match; just like what Fischer did by avoiding it. It is not a new story, Alekhine did it to Capablanca.
Or in boxing what Floyd Maywhether did, avoiding opponents in their prime.
MauvaisFou MauvaisFou 7/20/2022 10:49
WC matches K-K: Moscow 84-85 48 games, Moscow 85 (24), London-Leningrad 86 (24), Sevilla 87 (24), New York-Lyon 90 (24) (then GK played Anand, Short, Kramnik, and before that AK had played Korchnoi in 3 matches ...) Can you think of GK forfeiting in 89, saying: Oh no, again Karpov, how boring? Am I the only one to be truly shocked by MC's decision, and to think that a WC has duties? No, fortunately, there is Nirvana!
Vidmar Vidmar 7/20/2022 10:46
Now Magnus, like Fischer. Morphy, and Rocky Marciano, can leave the stage undefeated.
nirvana1963 nirvana1963 7/20/2022 10:35
Wow, 31 years and not motivated to play a WC match, unbelievable! Korchnoi (and many others...) would turn over in his grave...
zedsdeadbaby zedsdeadbaby 7/20/2022 10:26
Magnus in the next Candidates will be interesting :)
A Alekhine A Alekhine 7/20/2022 09:26
I have thought for many years that a WC match every two years is too much. The old three-year cycle was better, in my opinion. If the cycle were three years now, I believe Magnus would not have stepped away. As he said, spending six months out of every two years to prepare for a WC match is too much.
arzi arzi 7/20/2022 08:52
Actually, Nepo would have been more difficult opponent than last time but we will never know what would have happened. That timeline has gone forever and the new one has started.
Theochessman Theochessman 7/20/2022 08:40
Nepo would be a walkover anyway.
No wonder Magnus gets bored with all that weak opposition.
Maybe raising the prizemoney would motivate him?
Raymond Labelle Raymond Labelle 7/20/2022 08:38
One can understand that 6 months of preparation every 2 two years preparing for a match could cease to be fun - 5 times now.

Also, to prepare and play those very demanding matches, a high degree of motivaion is a necessary condition to find the energy to do so.

If there is not enough motivation, matter as well not do it then.
LLeow LLeow 7/20/2022 08:15
following in the footsteps of the fischer, but much more relevant is the younger hou yifan. at a much earlier age she began contemplating life after chess, and went on to pursue these opportunities. perhaps carlsen can consult her for thoughts on new challenges.
Marozka Marozka 7/20/2022 08:12
MauvaisFou, I don't think his decision has anything to do with it being a 12-game match.
Derek880 Derek880 7/20/2022 07:55
I think he just didn't want to play Nepo again. He saw no interest or excitement in it after the last match. I think his remark about how much he enjoyed the 2018 match was a hint that he would have preferred to be playing Caruana or even Ding. I don't think the Fiorozja match would have been very interesting. The hype every had about him at such a young age created pressures and a level that he simply couldn't live up to in the candidates' tournaments with such high-rated players. Carlsen would have had no problems with him. Maybe if Ding wins, Carlsen will decide to challenge for the title again.
chessgod0 chessgod0 7/20/2022 07:42
I'm glad it's a Nepo-Ding match instead of Nepo-Nakamura. A Nakamura match wouldn't have much credibility imo.
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