Carlsen will NOT be playing.

Surely if the bloke doesn't want to play chess anymore that's his decision to make.
That he's probably the best player in the world is irrelevant.

@beowulf said
He's disrespecting the WC Title and the history of the past World Champions.

World Champions are supposed fight until the next WC comes along.

@venda said
Surely if the bloke doesn't want to play chess anymore that's his decision to make.

@shallow-blue said
But that's just it - he is still playing Chess! He's just not playing in the World Championship. That's all.

@shallow-blue said
Tell that to Botwinnik.

@beowulf said
Botvinnik was a fighter.
The only World Champion to win the title and reclaim it twice after losses.

Magnus may be a stronger player but he is not a fighter like Botvinnik.

Botvinnik rematch clause came about by some back room shuffling.

In the 1956 candidates 6 of the10 players were Soviets.
Smyslov won it, Keres 2nd and the four remaining Soviets all came in 3rd equal.

FIDE were trying to bring in a rule to restrict their numbers
but the Soviets would not agree....However a delegation from
Moscow armed with a Botvinnik suggestion (the re-match clause)
approached FIDE on behalf of Botvinnik to suggest 'yes you can
retrict the number of Soviet Candidates but should the world champion
lose his title he is to be given an automatic re-match. FIDE agreed.

---

Yes, Carlsen is going to carry on playing. So why not just turn up unprep'd
and play 12-14 games of chess (he is still good enough to win it unprep'd.)
Instead the Nepo - Ding match (when ever that is) will be a side show.

People are more interested in Carlsen getting to 2900 than a Nepo - Ding match.
Who is going to sponsor it? These two are going up to end up playing for the
shadow of a world title and a set of steak knives.

As if the emphasis my last post, The Headline in todays Guardian.

"Chess: Magnus Carlsen in Olympiad action as world No 1 targets record rating."

Is 2900 an inflated, corrupt, open to manipulation and totally inaccurate number
more important than defending the world title because he was bored doing it.
Sitting on top of a shambolic, over worshipped, dribble over and overrated rating
system does not make him world No.1, He is Magnus Carlsen, formerly known as the world champion. (my next blog is writing itself!)

@beowulf said
Botvinnik was a fighter.
The only World Champion to win the title and reclaim it twice after losses. may be a stronger player but he is not a fighter like Botvinnik.

@greenpawn34 said

Yes, Carlsen is going to carry on playing. So why not just turn up unprep'd
and play 12-14 games of chess (he is still good enough to win it unprep'd.)

Hi David,

Don't get me wrong, I've always liked him and thought he was great for chess.
(jumping in the fountain after winning the title from Anand etc and etc..)

Just disappointed how it panned out and all this fuss about him getting to 2900.
What is he going to do when it happens...jump in a fountain.

Botvinnik lost the title in 1963 and carried on playing, the rematch clause
had been dropped and Botvinnik did not want to play in a candidates which
he was seeded into. By then the format had been changed to matches after
what happened (or did not happen, all depends on your POV) at Curaçao in 1962.
(The famous 'The Russians have fixed world chess' headline.)

@shallow-blue said
And gave it up after the third loss. Threw in the gauntlet - kept playing, but let others have the title. The same thing Carlsen is doing now.

David has a good point why play a title match if you think you
cannot play your best. But it came with the territory.
It has disappointed and alienated a lot of people and to do it chasing 2900....

@beowulf said
Botvinnik lost the title. He played!

Magnus is quitting like a spoiled brat.

So no, it's not the same. Not even close.

@mchill said
Magnus is quitting like a spoiled brat.


Mr. Carlsen earned the world championship title has defended it multiple times. He is under no obligation to do it again. Chess organizations and championship cycles are not dictatorships. The chess world will flourish without him at the top.