Vladimir Kramnik, a famous chess player, recently accused Magnus Carlsen of trying to bully the International Chess Federation (FIDE) into making a deal with a group called the Freestyle Chess Players Club (FCPC). Kramnik shared his thoughts on social media, asking FIDE why they agreed to host a private event, the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, and claimed Carlsen threatened to drop out of another tournament if they didn’t comply.
In a twist, Carlsen had earlier accused FIDE of threatening players who wanted to join the Freestyle Chess Tour. Recently, Carlsen was kicked out of a Rapid and Blitz Championship in New York for not following the dress code after being warned multiple times.
FIDE’s chief, Emil Sutovsky, responded to both Kramnik’s and Carlsen’s claims. He clarifies that Carlsen hasn’t been banned but can return on Saturday. Sutovsky said that FIDE never threatened players who wanted to join the Freestyle Tour and that they are open to working with different chess events. He emphasized that only FIDE should approve any tournament called a “World Championship.”
Sutovsky also mentioned he discussed this in an interview on an app called Take Take and invited fans to ask other players, like world champion D Gukesh, for the truth about what really happened.
The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour is set to start on January 4 and will include five events worldwide featuring famous players like Carlsen, Gukesh, and Viswanathan Anand. Kramnik also replied to a fan’s joke about trusting Carlsen or FIDE, saying, “Probably neither,” hinting he doesn’t fully back either side.
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