'Not part of this circus anymore': Five-time champion Magnus Carlsen rules out chess title clash with D Gukesh

Magnus Carlsen has officially ruled out the possibility of facing India's D Gukesh or any other opponents in future World Chess Championship title matches. Despite winning the championship five times since 2013, Carlsen made the decision not to defend his title last year. This decision led to Ding Liren being selected to compete against Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi in the title clash.

Carlsen famously defeated the legendary Viswanathan Anand in 2013 and held the championship title until his decision not to defend it in 2023. The 34-year-old Norwegian chess prodigy explained his choice to abstain from what he referred to as the "circus" of championship competition.

"I am not part of this circus anymore," Carlsen said on a popular recap stream, analysing the match.

Carlsen commended Gukesh for his victory at the World Chess Championship, where he defeated China's Ding with a score of 7.5-6.5.

"It's an incredible achievement (by Gukesh), first he was down in the FIDE circuit, won the tournament in Chennai on demand, then he had an amazing performance in the Candidates tournament," Carlsen said.

On Thursday, December 12, Gukesh expressed his admiration for the opportunity to compete against Carlsen, whom he regards as the best player in the world. He spoke of the challenge of testing his skills and the potential for personal growth that comes from facing such a formidable opponent.

"Winning the World Chess Championship does not mean I am the best player, obviously that is Magnus Carlsen. I want to reach the level Magnus has achieved," Gukesh said.

"Obviously, playing against Magnus in the world championship would be amazing, it would be the toughest challenge there is in chess. It is up to Magnus, but I would love to test myself against the best player in the world,” he added.

Gukesh has made history by becoming the second Indian after Anand to win the title of world champion. Not only that, he has also achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the youngest world champion and the first teenager to do so, surpassing Garry Kasparov's record.

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