Magnus Carlsen has announced that he will not defend the title of World Chess Champion against Ian Nepomniachtchi in 2023. Five-time
winner Magnus Carlsen isn't retiring, but he promises "to be the
greatest in the world," even if it means avoiding chess’s most important
event.
Ding Liren, China's No 2 world ranking, will now face Nepomniachtchi who Carlsen defeated last year in Dubai.
The
31-year old Norwegian grandmaster and former world number one player,
the Norwegian Grandmaster, stated in a Unibet podcast that he was not
motivated to play in another match. I
feel like I don’t have much to lose, I don’t enjoy it and, although I
know a match would be fascinating for historical reasons and all that
stuff, I have no desire to play.
"Ultimately,
the conclusion stands, one I'm fairly comfortable with, one I have
thought a lot about over the past year, I would say more that a year,
since long before my last match" [in the which he beat Nepomniachtchi,
without losing a single game].
"I've spoken with people from my team, [governing body] Fide and I also spoke to Ian. It's clear that I don't feel motivated to play in another match.
Bobby Fischer was 1975's last grandmaster to surrender the title instead of defending it in a match. Carlsen's
decision, however, is closer to what happened in 1993, when Garry
Kasparov left Fide. For more than a decade, there were other world
champions.
Arkady, president of Fide, said Carlsen deserved respect. Dvorkovich
stated in a statement that only a few people can comprehend and
appreciate the immense toll of playing five matches for the title. His decision to not defend his title is an obvious disappointment for fans and bad news for the spectacle. It creates a huge void.
"But
chess has never been stronger - thanks in large part to Magnus – and
the world championship match will continue, one of the most respected
traditions in sport."
Carlsen
previously stated that he would not give up his world title if Alireza
Firouzja (Iran-French teenager) was his next opponent. Nepomniachtchi won the Candidates Tournament in Madrid with one round left earlier this month, setting up a rematch. In the final round, Liren beat Hikaru Nakamura from the United States to take second place in Candidates Tournament.