Magnus Carlsen: I Will NOT PLAY in WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

[juanchi_legend]

6 months later... Magnus Carlsen becomes the new Poker World Champion

[ArnavBarbaad]

*Nobody can defeat Magnus in WCC*

Magnus: Fine, I'll do it myself

[yahia]

He spoke to Ian ..
The conversation be like :
Magnus : Hi Ian.
Ian : Hi Magnus
Magnus : Im not going to play the WCC
Ian : Ok..

[sunway]

Gotta respect his decision. If he doesn't have an interest or motivation to defend the title, it's difficult to play a good match. It would not be fair to his opponent as well. They want to get the title deservedly.

[tayzonday]

I mean, he has nothing left to prove.

[eldheimm]

This seems lost on so many people.
Magnus isn't very interested in theoretical games where most of the match is pure preparation and memorization of openings and tactics.
He likes open games as soon as possible. To be creative in new positions.
WC matches are insanely theoretical, and quite often very boring with lots of draws. All things Magnus doesn't like.
So let's respect that. Let him do what he is motivated by -that's also when we as an audience will get to experience his best chess.

[kobonodziongo]

To honest i feel sorry for him. I cannot imagine how a person who has given all his life to chess must feel when there are no more motivation to play it at level he could

[Hyperiss]

This happens in every competitive climate, when one relentlessly proves themselves in it, eventually, they realize they are 'enough' at what they do. Then it's time to find something new that gives you drive again.

[rickrick]

He mentioned this before but I never believed he would refuse to play. Too bad Naka wasn't 2nd. I like watching him play

[Calley]

What people need to understand about this announcement is that it does not mean Magnus is resigning from chess. He simply does not feel motivated to "defend the title". Basically, when you're world champion, you're expected to sit back on your throne and wait for a candidate to climb the ranks and eventually challenge you.

Not only is the format not enjoyable for Magnus, since he never really felt motivated to prove himself as the top of the world, but it means he can no longer compete for candidate, which means his goal of reaching 2900 rating would be less achievable, that said, there are three seats you can hold, classic is clearly his least favorite title. So, no need to read into this decision too much.

He simply does not value the title, and the title is the only prestige that you actually gain from winning, nothing else, so the title is effectively worthless to him.

[kudzem]

Good decision, look forward to seeing him in the next candidates, that'd much more exciting than a dull WCC where we all know the result

[esotericman]

I must confess that I'm shocked. I never for one second believed that Magnus would actually abdicate! He obviously has his reasons. Whatever you do Magnus, good luck to you, well deserved.

[joeywillis]

Sad/bad day for chess when the best doesn't want to play

[maddovibes]

He is literally the Saitama of Chess


Magnus : I just don't have the motivation.

[Squeech]

You can tell he is at odds here with how he feels vs how he thinks. He doesn't want to forfeit a title, the fact that he is in itself he is disgusted by because it's going to be in history forever. If the match were more interesting for him in opponent or format then he would play, but his feelings here are just telling him that it's not worth the mental suffering for little gain if he does win and a big loss if he loses

[RedCandles_]

He looks like he needs to enjoy life a bit. He’s climbed the chess mountain, no need to stay up there forever

[DhDeadMan]

This is the most emotional ive ever seen Magnus, you can clearly see how painful this decision was to him.

[PaperGrape]

This is not unprecedented in sports. He had reigned for a very long time and has every right to the decision.

[patlyn]

There comes a time when something doesn't inspire anymore and becomes more of a task than a joy and at that point if u dont walk away it will kill u on the inside and a part of you dies. Choosing life is great choice Magnus!

[williamodonnell]

In a way, I feel bad for Ian that this is happening. We don’t know what would happen in a WC match between those two this time around (given that Ian knows what to expect). While it might be likely that Magnus would win, I want to believe Ian could have pulled it off. If he ends up winning, he (along with almost any other player for that matter) will always be haunted by the fact that Magnus is out there, and they will likely feel as though the title is undeserved. It’ll be very interesting to see what happens with the WCC, I just hope Magnus is feeling better and doesn’t leave the chess scene entirely.