“Without the Element of Enjoyment…”- Is a Weary Magnus Carlsen Hinting Retirement From Chess?

Published 04/29/2022, 11:06 AM EDT

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When champions go to sleep, what do they dream of? They sure can’t be imagining themselves at the top because they are already there. The challenge at the top is not about winning, it’s about not getting bored with the process. It’s been a decade since the Norwegian Grand Master Magnus Carlsen claimed the title of world number one. However, now that he has achieved every known record in the game, there are clearly some signs that chess doesn’t excite the legend anymore.

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Ever since he defeated the Russian Grand Master Ian Nepomniachtchi in the 2021 world chess championship, he has been hinting at his retirement. However, Magnus Carlsen always speaks in riddles. Hence, it’s quite difficult to predict if he’ll retire this year or ten years from now. Though the world champion is certainly dropping signs, that it’s not fun for him anymore.

Signs that chess is no longer exciting for Magnus Carlsen

The most prominent sign is his constant retirement talks. Perhaps he sounded a bit bored from the game, and in a recent interview, he said, “Without the element of enjoyment, it is not worth trying to excel at anything.”

It’s not just this Carlsen’s approach to the game has also been quite different lately. In the Oslo Esports cup, he even played the most frivolous opening that cannot have a valid explanation against Grand Master Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Taking the advantage of Carlsen’s sloppy gameplay, the Polish Grand Master claimed the title of the third tournament in the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour.

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Online Chess Has a Serious Flaw That Even World Champion Magnus Carlsen Can’t Escape From

The list doesn’t end here. How many times have you seen Carlsen making a blunder? Well, for someone who has only seen him at the Oslo Esports Cup 2022, the answer would be, a lot of times.

While Carlsen’s journey started with him waiting for the world champion Garry Kasparov, he is showing the same signs himself now. Here’s the world champion apologizing for being late to a game.

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Furthermore, the most talked-about moment from the Oslo Esports cup was when the opponent was waiting for Carlsen’s move and the world chess champion was taking a nap. Though, his one hand was on the mouse, which could mean that perhaps he may be thinking about the moves in deep meditation.

Magnus is that person who has always been excited about chess. However, since last month and so, his approach towards the game has been different. Does that mean he has already made up his mind about retirement? And the bigger question is, will he be defending his world championship title in 2023 or not?

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Written by:

Saurav Panwar

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Saurav Panwar is a US Sports writer at EssentiallySports. A postgraduate in Media and Communication Studies, he shares a profound love for creative direction and filmmaking. Saurav is also an avid reader and a literature devotee whose fandom spreads from classics to sci-fi, non-fiction, plays, comics, and much more.
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Edited by:

Simar Singh Wadhwa