World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen Severs Ties with Fide Over Freestyle Chess Feud

World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen has declared that his relationship with the world chess governing body, Fide, is “pretty much damaged” after a feud over Freestyle Chess. In a recent press conference for the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, Carlsen announced that he will no longer collaborate with Fide, including participating in future Fide events.

The dispute between Carlsen and Fide comes as negotiations have failed to resolve the ongoing feud. Carlsen, who has previously participated in the Fide World Rapid and Blitz Championship, stated that he is unlikely to take part in the upcoming tournament scheduled to be held in Doha.

Carlsen’s focus has now shifted to the Fischer Random format, with the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour kicking off in Weissenhaus, Germany. The first day of the tournament saw some of the world’s top players in action, with reigning classical world champion Gukesh suffering a defeat to Alireza Firouzja and Carlsen himself being defeated by Fabiano Caruana.

The feud between Fide and the organisers of Freestyle Chess has been ongoing for months, with recent negotiations breaking down. Fide has been adamant about maintaining its sole authority over the ‘World Championship’ title, a point of contention for the Freestyle Chess organisers who have been pushing to award the title to the Tour winner at the end of the year.

As Carlsen continues to focus on Freestyle Chess and the Fischer Random format, it remains to be seen how the feud with Fide will impact his future participation in chess events. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.