Magnus Carlsen calls on Arkady Dvorkovich to step down as FIDE president

Sixteenth world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway on Monday, February 3, called on Arkady Dvorkovich to resign as president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

"FIDE President Dvorkovich, in order to convince me to play Rapid and Blitz in New York, you wrote to my father on December 19: "Just want to convey to you and Magnus that whatever happens between the Freestyle Chess Tour and FIDE in terms of recognition, the players will not be affected in any way. They will be able to make their own decision and FIDE will not take any negative action," Carlsen wrote on his X social media account (formerly Twitter).

Earlier, the Norwegian accused FIDE of the fact that the organization threatened chess players with suspension from world championships in case of performance in the Freestyle Chess Tour. This is about the conflict between FIDE and Freestyle Chess Tour, which is co-organized by Carlsen. The organizations have not come to an agreement on cooperation due to disputes over the recognition of the status of the regulator of world championships.

Two heroes: how Jan Nepomnyashchy finally became world champion

Russian chess players had a near-perfect World Cup in Rapid and Blitz in New York

Earlier, on September 22, 2024, the FIDE general assembly voted to maintain restrictions for Russian and Belarusian chess players. President of the Russian Chess Federation (RCF) Andrei Filatov told Izvestia that the delegates were under tremendous pressure, including in the form of a statement by the US State Department. In addition, some representatives of Ukraine personally approached them and threatened direct sanctions if they supported Russia.