The ongoing dispute between the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and Magnus Carlsen has escalated, with the governing body on Tuesday lashing out at the Freestyle Chess Players Club, threatening legal action. Freestyle Players Club is a co-owner of the great Norwegian chess player.
The Freestyle Chess World Championship will kick off in Germany next month, with 10 of the world’s top players taking part, followed by tournaments in Paris, New York, Delhi and Cape Town.
FIDE warned the FCPC that they should not refer to the series as a “World Championship”.
“The FCPC’s attempt to frame their project as a World Championship contradicts FIDE’s established status and its authority over world championship titles in all relevant variants of chess, including Chess960/Freestyle Chess, as stated in the FIDE manual .”, FIDE said in a statement.
Founded in 1996 by former world champion Bobby Fischer, Chess960 has grown in popularity after hosting an invitational tournament last year at the Weissenhaus Luxury Resort, which is launching in 2022 Hosted the Group of Seven (G7) Foreign Ministers’ Summit in 2006.
In Chess960/Freestyle Chess, the back row pieces are reshuffled, which means that computer-supported preparation can sometimes lead to boring openings that are pointless.
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Although the International Chess Federation (FIDE) organized world championships in 2019 and 2022, the competitions were conducted under fast time control, and last year’s competition was cancelled.
Carlsen was disqualified from the Rapid World Championship in New York last month over a wardrobe controversy and used an expletive against FIDE in post-match comments before joining Russian player Ian Nepomniacki Won the Blitz Championship.
After winning five consecutive classical chess world championships, the 34-year-old failed to defend his title and was succeeded by China’s Ding Li and India’s Domaraju Gokesh.
FIDE said it was open to dialogue with the FCPC and said it had adjusted its schedule so players could compete in the freestyle chess series, but insisted it had given up its claim to “world championship”.
“We are open to dialogue and look forward to reaching a mutually acceptable agreement, provided that FIDE’s governance role at world championships and its established authority are respected by potential partners,” FIDE explained.
“If such an agreement cannot be reached, FIDE requires that the Freestyle Series not have the status of a ‘World Championship’. FIDE will not hesitate to use all legal means against those who violate its rights – regardless of the project. Sponsors, organizers and/or investors.
