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Russian chess grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi recently tweeted that FIDE gave Magnus Carlsen special treatment during the Rapid Blitz tournament. According to Ian's post, Magnus was provided with a personal lounge where he could rest and prepare, along with a laptop. He added that no one else at the tournament received such treatment.
Magnus and Ian are both competing in the ongoing World Rapid Chess Championship 2023, taking place in Uzbekistan from December 26 to 28. The tournament is being played in a Swiss-style format, consisting of 13 rounds for the open category and 11 for the women's category.
Ian tweeted on X (formerly Twitter):
"Is it fair to provide Magnus a personal lounge?"
FIDE responds to allegations by Ian Nepomniachtchi regarding special treatment towards Magnus Carlsen
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) account has been regularly updating the rankings for the Rapid Blitz chess tournament. In response to the allegations made by Ian in what has now become a viral post, FIDE denied the allegations of treating Magnus Carlsen differently and stated that none of the participants received special treatment.
The federation also assured they are ensuring fair play and that all players are allowed to use their gadgets between games.
However, many users responded to Ian's post about FIDE. One X user agreed with the Russian grandmaster and said that he had a point:
Another user, however, said that Magnus Carlsen receives those perks due to being a reigning World Champion and the number-one player for a decade:
Here are some more reactions and comments to Ian's post:
Many others replied to FIDE's post and mentioned how the federation did not provide a direct response to the accusation:
Magnus Carlsen recently addressed the ongoing feud between Vladimir Kramnik and chess grandmaster Hikaru. He has been nominated in multiple categories for the 2023 Chess.com awards. Voting is open until January 1, 2024.
