Controversy in the Chess World: Magnus Carlsen’s Jeans Scandal and Title Sharing Drama

The chess world has been rocked by controversy in recent weeks, starting with the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship. The drama began when Magnus Carlsen, the World No. 1, was fined and excluded from a late round pairing for wearing jeans, which violated FIDE’s regulations. Carlsen refused to change and ultimately walked off, causing a stir in the chess community.

After making a comeback at the Blitz Championship, Carlsen found himself in the midst of another controversy during the final against Ian Nepomniachtchi. The final ended in a draw after sudden death, and Carlsen offered to share the title with Ian. Initially, FIDE disagreed, but after the intervention of FIDE President, they agreed to let the two players share the title.

A viral video of Carlsen jokingly telling Ian to play short draws if FIDE didn’t agree to them sharing the title sparked accusations of match-fixing from chess Grandmasters and fans. Carlsen later clarified that his words were meant as a joke, but FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky publicly called him out.

In a surprising turn of events, Carlsen’s long-time trainer Peter Heine Nielsen came to his defense and launched a scathing attack on FIDE. Nielsen accused FIDE of being controlled by the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin, citing various instances of alleged Russian influence within the organization.

With FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich being a Russian politician and former Deputy Prime Minister, the accusations of Russian influence in the chess world have raised eyebrows. Despite Carlsen’s claims of FIDE threatening players at other events, FIDE CEO Sutovsky denied such allegations and urged fans to seek the truth from D Gukesh.

The chess world is abuzz with controversy and accusations, as the drama surrounding Magnus Carlsen and FIDE continues to unfold.