Magnus Carlsen, the No. 1 chess player in the world, has decided to forfeit his time in the game, citing a lack of interest in the activity.
Carlsen, a five-time world champion, started playing chess “on a whim,” he said on Wednesday, International Chess Day. While getting into the game has “opened a lot of doors” for him, he no longer feels motivated to play the game and wants to focus on other goals, according to the Telegraph.
“I simply feel that I don’t have a lot to gain,” Carlsen said. “I don’t particularly like it, 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.”
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The last time a reigning champion left his title of world champion was in 1975, when U.S. player Bobby Fischer gave up his title instead of defending it. Fischer was replaced by Russian player Anatoly Karpov, and the title remained in the hands of Russians until 2000.
Carlsen is not ruling out a return to chess in the future but has told fans not to “particularly count on it.”
The Norwegian champion has been credited with encouraging millions of people around the world to take up the game. Beyond chess, Carlsen has spent time modeling for the Dutch fashion label G-Star Raw and has also launched his own business empire in 2013, the Play Magnus Group, which provides apps and online platforms designed to teach chess and encourage players.
Carlsen was beaten by a 16-year-old Indian chess prodigy, Rameshbabu “Pragg” Praggnanandhaa, in February, the youngest player to do so since Carlsen secured the championship title in 2013. Carlsen claimed at the time that a recent bout with COVID-19 affected his performance.
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President Arkady Dvorkovich of the International Chess Federation expressed his disappointment in Carlsen’s announcement but that he deserved “nothing but respect” in his decision, Dvorkovich said in a statement.
“His decision not to defend his title is undoubtedly a disappointment for the fans, and bad news for the spectacle,” Dvorkovich said. “It leaves a big void. But chess is now stronger than ever — in part, thanks to Magnus — and the World Championship Match, one of the longest and most respected traditions in the world of sports, will go on.”
