Magnus Carlsen v Fide row intensifies over Freestyle Chess World Championship
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Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen is a co-owner of the Freestyle Chess Players Club, which has been warned by international chess federation Fide not to call its upcoming series a "world championship".
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PARIS – The ongoing dispute between the International Chess Federation (Fide) and Magnus Carlsen escalated when the governing body hit out at the Freestyle Chess Players Club (FCPC), which is co-owned by the Norwegian great, threatening legal action on Jan 21.
The Freestyle Chess World Championship will kick off in Germany in February with 10 of the top players in the world, before legs in Paris, New York, New Delhi and Cape Town.
Fide is warning the FCPC that it should not brand the series as a “world championship”.
“The attempts by FCPC to present their project as a world championship are in contradiction with the well-established status of Fide and its authority over world championship titles in all relevant variations of chess – including Chess960/Freestyle chess, as outlined in the Fide handbook,” the governing body said in a statement.
Chess960, created by former world champion Bobby Fischer in 1996, has been gaining in popularity after an invitational tournament played in 2024 at the Weissenhaus Luxury Resort, which hosted the G7 Foreign Minister Summit in 2022.
In Chess960/Freestyle chess, the pieces on the back rank are reshuffled, meaning that computer-backed preparations leading to sometimes dull openings, are meaningless.
While Fide has organised freestyle world championships in 2019 and 2022, they were played in rapid time control, and 2024’s edition was cancelled.
In December, Carlsen was disqualified from the rapid world championship in New York over an attire dispute
Fide president Arkady Dvorkovich later said that he approved a trial of a more flexible approach to attire during the World Blitz Championship that would allow minor deviations from the official dress code.
The 34-year-old Carlsen did not defend his classical chess world title after winning it five times in a row, being succeeded by China’s Ding Liren and Indian Gukesh Dommaraju.
Fide said it was open to dialogue with the FCPC, saying it accommodated its calendar, so players could take part in the Freestyle Chess series, but insisted they backed off on their “world championship” claim.
“We are open to dialogue, and looking forward to reaching a mutually acceptable agreement, provided that the governing role and its well-established authority of Fide over the world championships is respected by potential partners,” Fide explained.
“Should such an agreement not be reached, Fide demands that the Freestyle series does not carry the status of a ‘world championship’.
“Fide will not hesitate to use all legal means against those who violate its rights – be it initiators, organisers and/or investors of the project.” REUTERS
