Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen rubbished allegations of match-fixing after a backstage video from the World Blitz Championship 2024 final went viral, showing him and Ian Nepomniachtchi discussing the possibility of enforcing draws if their proposal to share the title was turned down. The clip went viral in no time and ignited a controversy, prompting Carlsen to clarify his comments.

Advertisment

'I’m joking with Ian in a situation with lacking decisive tiebreak rules'

"I’ve never prearranged a draw in my career,” Carlsen said on Thursday (Jan 2). He further opined, "In the video, I’m joking with Ian in a situation with lacking decisive tiebreak rules. This was obviously not an attempt to influence FIDE. It was said in the spirit that I thought FIDE would agree to our proposal. If anything, it was a bad joke given the gravity of the situation.”

Also read: Sugar Bowl postponed by a day over deadly truck-ramming New Orleans attack

Advertisment

The veteran further defended the quality of the match and added, "I think the match itself showed two players playing high-level chess, equally matched and both deserving of a win."

The controversy erupted on Tuesday (Dec 31, 2024) when Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi shared the World Blitz C'ship title after seven rounds of the final concluded in a tie. The unprecedented decision, approved by FIDE, became the first-ever instance of the title being jointly awarded.

There were several reactions after the tie. American Grandmaster Hans Niemann called for an investigation, while Indian Grandmaster Srinath Narayanan condemned the incident.

Advertisment

"This is cause for an investigation by the FIDE Ethics committee. I can’t believe that 2 players who maliciously accused me and tried to ruin my career are openly breaking the rules. The irony simply can’t get any worse," Niemann claimed on Wednesday (Jan 1).