He World Blitz Chess Championshipheld on Wall Street, New York, closed with an unprecedented outcome that has generated controversy in the world of chess. The great teachers Magnus Carlsen e Ian Nepomniachtchi They decided to share the world title after drawing 3.5-3.5 in a series of sudden death games. This agreement, approved by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), marked the first time in history that an individual world chess title was shared, which has provoked mixed reactions among fans and experts. As a result of this, the Norwegian, who had also been the focus of the news after being sanctioned for failing to comply with the dress code, He explained his actions from a message published on social networks.
The decision to share the trophy arose after both players, visibly exhausted, faced a series of tiebreakers that failed to define a winner. The official FIDE rules stipulated an indefinite series of sudden death matches, but after three matches with conservative strategies, Carlsen proposed stopping the match and sharing the championship. Nepomniachtchi accepted the proposal, and FIDE, after consulting with its president, Arkady Dvorkovichgave the green light to the agreement.
In subsequent statements, the player who already has eight world blitz titles justified his decision by referring to the physical and mental state that both players were experiencing. “I think the audience could understand that we were both very tired and nervous.”, stated the Norwegian in a press conference. However, the outcome was not without criticism. While the crowd in New York applauded the resolution, the online reaction was largely negative, with professional and amateur players questioning the legitimacy of sharing a world title.
In the midst of the controversy, Carlsen turned to platform X (formerly Twitter) to defend himself against accusations of having fixed the tie beforehand. “Never in my career have I agreed to a tie in advance”wrote the five-time world champion. In his message, he also referred to a cut in which he is seen talking to Nepomniachtchi about the possibility of equalizing, which some interpreted as an attempt to influence FIDE. “In the video I joke with Ian in a situation where there are no decisive tiebreaker rules. Obviously, this was not an attempt to influence FIDE. In any case, it was a joke in bad taste given the seriousness of the situation”he explained. In the filming, the Norwegian Grandmaster is heard telling his opponent “if they refuse (FIDE), we will draw (to infinity) until they give up,” according to the Spanish newspaper. Mark.
At the same time, Carlsen also highlighted the level of play exhibited during the tournament, stating that both he and Nepomniachtchi deserved the victory. “I think the game itself showed two players playing high-level chess, evenly matched and both deserving of a victory.”he added.
However, criticism was immediate. The American Grandmaster Hans Niemannwho has a history of confrontations with Carlsen, launched harsh accusations on social networks. “You broke the rules on camera, you only thought they would accept your proposal because you backed out of the blitz and made ridiculous demands,” Niemann wrote on .
On the other hand, figures like the American Daniel Naroditsky They expressed their disagreement from a more technical perspective. Having been left out of the final despite tying the score with other players, Naroditsky commented: “If I had known that the rules were flexible, would have pushed for the 10 players who tied for first place to be included. If we can have two co-champions, why not 10?”
The official FIDE website described what happened in its summary of the tournament: “In the final, Carlsen was on the verge of winning after taking a 2-0 lead in a four-game match. However, Nepomniachtchi pulled off a spectacular comeback and won the next two games in style to level the score. The subsequent tiebreakers included three very close and grueling battles, in which neither player was able to gain a decisive advantage, with the score at 3.5:3.5. At that point, Carlsen stood up and publicly suggested to his opponent that they aim to split the crown. After some thought, Nepomniachtchi accepted.”
All this occurred in the context in which this year’s World Rapid and Blitz Championship was plagued by incidents that added tension to the event. Before the final, Carlsen starred in another controversial episode known as “Jean Street”. The main referee, Alex Holowczakdecided to exclude the Norwegian from the pairings of the ninth round of the rapid chess tournament due to an alleged violation of the dress code, as Carlsen was wearing jeans. This decision generated criticism of Holowczak and other senior FIDE officials, such as the executive director Emil Sutovsky and the vice president Vishy Anand. FIDE subsequently allowed Carlsen to return to the tournament, so he was able to compete in the Blitz mode.
In the Blitz quarterfinals, Carlsen faced Niemann in a rematch of their controversial Sinquefield Cup match, which had sparked cheating accusations and a $100 million lawsuit. On this occasion, Carlsen won with a score of 2.5-1.5, despite having received checkmate in one of the games.
