Magnus Carlsen, Ian Nepomniachtchi's Decision To Share World Blitz Title Sparks Controversy

Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi's decision to share the World Blitz Championship title for the first time in history has sent shockwaves through the chess community, sparking widespread criticism. World number one Carlsen and Russia's Nepomniachtchi shared the Blitz title after three sudden-death games failed to produce a winner. This was the first time that the title was awarded to two players after the Norwegian asked whether it could be shared given the deadlock. The move has drawn sharp criticism, with former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik slamming the international chess federation for not thinking of a rule for such scenario.

"Of course, some might wonder if FIDE should have thought a bit making the regulations concerning final WC match situation like that, but understandable, a lot of time and energy was spent on the jeans clause, the person writing the regulations was already tired by then," Kramnik said.

He was referring to FIDE's recent revision of its dress code policy. Carlsen had been disqualified from the Rapid section last week after arriving in jeans and refusing to switch to formal trousers.

Following the incident, he withdrew from the Blitz event, prompting FIDE to revise its stance and permit players to compete in jeans, which ultimately led to Carlsen's participation. US Grandmaster Hans Niemann, who was beaten by Carlsen earlier in the tournament, wrote a series of post on X.

"The chess world is officially a joke. THIS HAS NEVER BEEN DONE IN HISTORY. I can't believe that the official body of chess is being controlled by a singular player FOR THE 2ND TIME THIS WEEK. THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE WORLD CHAMPION!" Niemann wrote. "FIDE goes from forfeiting Carlsen to creating an entirely new rule. Seems