Last year, the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships ended with a lot of drama. In the Rapid tournament, a big controversy erupted because of Magnus Carlsen’s jeans. This drama continued into the Blitz Championship, where fans witnessed something strange: Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi finished tied for first place.
A video popped up online showing Carlsen telling Nepomniachtchi to make quick draws until FIDE, the chess governing body, gave in. This happened after their tie-breaker games which ended in draws. Many people accused them of match-fixing, but Carlsen explained that he was joking about FIDE’s confusing tie-breaker rules.
Since that incident, Nepomniachtchi had not spoken much to the media. Recently, he decided to open up about his training preparations for upcoming tournaments. In an interview with TASS, he said, “I prepared early for the December tournaments. I practiced with Alexander Grischuk, who also did great by winning a silver medal in the Rapid. I did online training with Vladimir Chuchelov and worked on puzzles. I also stayed active and fit. On December 23, I flew to New York without stopping at home.”
Nepomniachtchi added that he is focused on the World Cup and the Grand Swiss, which are important tournaments for him this year.
In the Blitz final, Carlsen started strong with two wins, needing just a draw to win the title. But Nepomniachtchi fought back, tying the games to make it 2-2. In a sudden death situation, both players drew three times, leading Carlsen to suggest they share the title, and Nepomniachtchi agreed.
Additionally, Nepomniachtchi won a bronze medal in the Rapid Championships. In December, he lost to Carlsen in the Champions Chess Tour final. Earlier, in September, he won the Gashimov Memorial. In the 2024 Candidates Tournament, he led at first but was passed by D Gukesh for the top spot. Notably, he was the only player in that tournament not to lose any games.
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