Over the past seven months, one of the most discussed topics in the world of chess has been the participation of Magnus Carlsen in the upcoming fight for the title of world champion.

He first announced a possible withdrawal in December 2021, when he called 19-year-old Alireza Firouzja the only opponent he would like to fight for the crown.

And when Ian Nepomniachtchi won the right to fight for it for the second year in a row, there were serious concerns about the prospects for this meeting.

And on July 20, they were confirmed when the statement was made by the Norwegian himself.

“In the end, the solution remains the same, and it suits me perfectly.

I thought about it a lot and for a long time, more than a year already, probably almost a year and a half, perhaps.

And I started thinking long before the last match.

I talked to people from my team, FIDE and Jan.

And the conclusion is very simple: I have no motivation to play another match, I just feel that I will not get much from this, I don’t really like it, and although a rematch, I’m sure, would be of historical interest and so on, I have no desire to participate in it.

I just won't do it," Chess24.com quotes Carlsen.

Thus, in the end, Carlsen called the lack of motivation the reason for the reluctance to defend the title.

Although in recent months he explained it differently.

In early July, information appeared that the Norwegian was ready to meet the Russian at the table again, but only if the competition formula was changed.

Magnus suggested holding it in the format of three sets - by analogy with tennis, as well as adding rapid and blitz games to the classic games.

But his proposals were not taken seriously, and things did not go beyond talk.

At the same time, Carlsen admitted that representatives of the leadership of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), including its president Arkady Dvorkovich, personally communicated with him on the subject of title defense, but failed to change his mind on this matter.

“Many people are aware that I was present in Madrid at the final stage of the Candidates Tournament.

After graduation, I really agreed to meet with Arkady Dvorkovich and (FIDE Director General. -

RT

) Emil Sutovsky and talk.

I went to this meeting without any demands and proposals.

Yes, some proposals followed from their side, but the essence is this: I came there to tell them that I would not defend my title, and we had a little discussion.

They made me several offers, some I liked, some I didn’t,” Carlsen added.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time that the current world chess champion, for one reason or another, does not want to defend his title.

This first happened in 1975, when Bobby Fischer resigned, which later passed to the Soviet grandmaster Anatoly Karpov.

And then the format of the match also became a stumbling block.

The American demanded that it lasted up to ten games won, and their total number was not regulated.

Moreover, in the event of a draw with a score of 9:9, the crown would remain with its owner.

Subsequently, Karpov himself resigned his champion powers without a fight, however, in his case this happened for other reasons.

In 1998, FIDE changed the format of the title and set up a knockout tournament.

But if for the first time the current title holder had an advantage over the rest and immediately received a ticket to the final, then in 1999 he was forced to fight for it on an equal basis with everyone else.

The Russian considered this unfair, as a result of which he left the trophy vacant and was won in the knockout tournament by his compatriot Alexander Khalifman.

Not surprisingly, Carlsen's decision caused a huge outcry in the sports world.

The PR director of the Russian Chess Federation (FSHR) Kirill Zangalis admitted to RT that he was seriously surprised by the act of the Norwegian grandmaster.

This was also a surprise for Nepomniachtchi's coach Vladimir Potkin.

“Of course, this is shocking news for me.

Carlsen is the world champion, the leader of the rating.

With Nepomniachtchi, they would have a real big duel.

Although the prerequisites for its cancellation were: he said about his desire the next day after the match in Dubai.

Then people began to take seriously the fact that Magnus might not defend the chess crown.

The Norwegian himself said that for him the meeting for the championship is a difficult test, ”said the interlocutor of RT.

The specialist expressed the opinion that lately the Norwegian has been a little tired of the championship fights and lost motivation, which is why he suggested the idea of ​​changing the format.

“This is a reflection of what is happening with Carlsen in online matches.

This format seems to him the most interesting.

But if that was the only thing, Magnus's team would have been discussing with FIDE for a long time to change him - even after the confrontation for the crown in Dubai in 2021.

But since this did not happen, the reasons are most likely different.

Maybe it's a matter of motivation," Potkin said.

In turn, FIDE assured that they did not intend to punish Carlsen for refusing a rematch with Nepomniachtchi and expressed hope for his return in the future.

“Magnus Carlsen deserves respect and only respect from FIDE and the entire chess community, whatever his decision regarding his career may be.

There are only a few in history who are able to understand and appreciate the great cost of five title matches.

Many other great champions in other sports have experienced something similar: as the years go by, it becomes harder to find the motivation to train and compete at the highest level, and the feeling of being rewarded for victory is never as intense as on the first day, ”says the official statement by the head of FIDE.

According to him, the organization hoped to the last that after some well-deserved rest, Magnus would change his position.

“Sporting legends like Carlsen always strive for goals and records.

He is still young and could supplement his already outstanding career with new titles in classical chess, which he will certainly try to do in his favorite formats - rapid and blitz, ”added Dvorkovich.

According to the FIDE President, Nepomniachtchi will face Ding Liren, who took second place in the Candidates Tournament, in the fight for the championship.

In the last round, the Chinese beat with white the American Hikaru Nakamura, who occupied the second line, and outstripped him and the Azerbaijani Teimour Radjabov by 0.5 points.

It is interesting that the meetings of the 29-year-old native of Wenzhou with Nepomniachtchi opened the first and second rounds of the G8 battles in Madrid, and in one of them the Russian won with black, and in the second he forced the exchange of pieces and painted a draw.

“It will not only be a struggle between bright chess players, but also a clash of traditions.

We play many friendly matches with China, we have one school.

They have said more than once that they want to raise their own champion.

I'm sure the Chinese will rally around Ding Liren to help him as much as possible.

What will happen next - we'll see.

Perhaps in the future, Magnus Carlsen will once again become interested in matches for the crown,” summed up Vladimir Potkin.