Historic tie: Magnus Carlsen, Ian Nepomniachtchi share World Blitz Championship
History was created on January 1, Wednesday, in New York, when Grandmasters Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi decided to share the 2024 FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship title.
With nothing to separate the duo after 7 games, the reigning world blitz champion – Carlsen, made a never-seen-before proposal to his opponent – that they should share the title. Nepomniachtchi agreed without hesitation and created history on Wednesday.
After dramatically reversing his earlier decision to withdraw, Carlsen claimed his eighth World Blitz title, while Nepomniachtchi earned his first. This marks the first time in chess history that a World Championship title has been shared.
The decision to split the title came after both players played three consecutive draws in the sudden death stage. Carlsen had started the final with two straight victories and only needed a draw to secure the win, but Nepomniachtchi displayed remarkable resilience, winning twice on demand to force a tie at 2.0-2.0, pushing the match into sudden death.
After three draws in the sudden death games, Carlsen suggested they share the title, which was later confirmed by FIDE.
MAGNUS CARLSEN CONTROVERSY
In the final days of 2024, Magnus Carlsen was at the centre of a huge controversy in the tournament. Carlsen quit the FIDE championship on December 28, after he was fined for improper dress code. Carlsen had worn jeans, which was not in allowed in general by the chess federation.
Carlsen expressed his frustration, saying, “I said I’ll change tomorrow … but they said you have to change now. It became a matter of principle for me, so here we are! Honestly, I’m too old at this point to care too much. If this is what they want to do, I’ll probably set off to somewhere where the weather is a bit nicer.”
Carlsen detailed the events leading to the controversy: “I had a really good sleep and a nice lunch meeting before I came here. I just barely had time to go to my room and change, so I put on a shirt and a jacket. Honestly, I didn’t even think about the jeans.
“I even changed my shoes but didn’t consider the jeans. When I arrived, I don’t remember if it was after the first or second game, but I got a warning. First, I was fined, and then I was told I wouldn’t be paired if I didn’t go change my jeans immediately. They said I could do it after the third round.
“I said I’d change tomorrow if that’s okay, as I hadn’t even realised it today. But they insisted I change immediately. At that point, it became a matter of principle for me.”
When asked if he had appealed the decision, Carlsen replied: “No, I haven’t appealed. Honestly, I’m too old at this point to care too much. If this is what they want to do, I guess it goes both ways, right? Nobody wants to back down, and this is where we are. It’s fine by me. I’ll probably head somewhere with nicer weather than here.”
Carlsen confirmed that he would also skip the Blitz Championship. “I mean, no,” he stated simply.
The player made a massive U-turn 2 days later (December 30) after FIDE agreed to relax a dress code that had previously led to him being fined and excluded from a late-round game in the Rapid championship.