5 time champ Carlsen to not defend World Chess C'ships title

London: The five-time World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen said that he will not defend his world championships title in 2023.According to current regulations, Candidates Tournament winner Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi will now play the world championship against runner-up Chinese world no. 2 Ding Liren.

"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, 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," Carlsen said in a podcast named ‘The Magnus Effect’.

According to media reports, Carlsen had a 40-minute meeting with the President of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) Arkady Dvorkovich and FIDE General Director Emil Sutovsky in Madrid on the final weekend of the Candidates Tournament, when it was already clear that Ian Nepomniachtchi would earn a World Championship rematch.

The 31-year-old does not exclude the possibility of ever returning to the world chess championship, and makes sure to emphasise that he will stay active within chess outside the context of the world championship.

He has a multitude of games ahead of him – currently in the Grand Chess Tour in Zagreb, and subsequently he will go on to represent Norway in the 44th Chess Olympiad 2022 in Chennai, followed by the FTX Crypto Cup in Miami.(UNI)