Hyderabad: Norwegian Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen has denied allegations of match-fixing after his backstage chat video Ian Nepomniachtchi from the World Blitz Championship 2024 final surfaced.
The video shows that two famous grandmasters having a discussion regarding the possibility of enforcing draws if their proposal to share the title was rejected. The viral clip sparked controversy within the chess community, leaving fans and faternity raising question over the incident.
I’ve never prearranged a draw in my career. In the video I’m joking with Ian in a situation with lacking decisive tiebreak rules. This was obviously not an attempt to influence FIDE. It was said in the spirit that I thought FIDE would agree to our proposal. If anything it was a… https://t.co/5y6cGwmzGf
— Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) January 1, 2025
This led Carlsen to come in front and clarify that his comments were made in jest and did not reflect any attempt to undermine the integrity of the championship. "I’ve never prearranged a draw in my career," Carlsen wrote on his X handle on Thursday, January 2.
"In the video, I’m joking with Ian in a situation with lacking decisive tiebreak rules. This was obviously not an attempt to influence FIDE. It was said in the spirit that I thought FIDE would agree to our proposal. If anything, it was a bad joke given the gravity of the situation."
The Norwegian GM further defended the quality of the match, saying: "I think the match itself showed two players playing high-level chess, equally matched and both deserving of a win."
The controversy began on December 31, 2024, when Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi scripted history by becoming the first-ever pair in the World Blitz Championship to share the title as the summit match ended in a tie after seven rounds. This unprecedented decision, approved by FIDE, marked the first time the title was jointly awarded but drew sharp criticism from fans and players alike.
