The reigning world chess champion Magnus Carlsen refused a new match for the world title against Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi. He called the reason "lack of motivation." The day before, Carlsen had said that he would refuse to defend the title if a non-French Alireza Firouzha won the Candidates Tournament.
However, the Candidates Tournament in Madrid was won by Nepomniachtchi, which gave him the right to play for the world title. Now, according to the regulations, Nepomniachtchi will have to play with the second-place chess player in Madrid, the Chinese Ding Liren .
At the same time, Carlsen said that he does not rule out the possibility of returning to the World Classic Chess Championship later. He stated that he would continue to fully engage in chess, but not at the World Championship.
In December last year, after 11 games at the World Chess Championship, Carlsen defended his title ahead of schedule after defeating Nepomniachtchi. Carlsen won the last four games against the Russian, the first five ended in a draw.